I’m Saving the Manumea – How About You?
Turning national pride into measurable conservation action
Partner: Samoa Conservation Society and Samoan Government
What We Did
The campaign repositioned Manumea conservation from a niche environmental issue into a matter of national identity and shared responsibility.
We focused on those key villages where the Manumea had most recently been sighted, such as Uafato and Falease’ela, and then we partnered with these local communities to co-design the campaign strategy
A key part of the strategy involved developing a network of “Manumea Friendly Villages” where we supported local activities to reduce Lupe hunting, while increasing predator control and forest restoration.
At the national level we used humour, art, music and faith to highlight the key threats to the Manumea, including by-catch from hunting and eating the Lupe (Pacific pigeon).
Challenge
The Manumea (tooth-billed pigeon) is one of the world’s most threatened endemic birds.
Since the 1990s the population has fallen from 7000 to possibly fewer than 150
Habitat loss, invasive predators such as rats and cats, and accidental hunting during lupe hunting season continued to drive decline.
Previous campaigns raised awareness – but failed to shift behaviour.
There are now so few birds that most people don’t know what it looks or sounds like
Strategy
We developed a national campaign that focused on the shared responsibility for protecting Samoa’s national bird, encapsulated in the slogan, “I’m Saving the Manumea – How about You?”
We focused the campaign on those key areas where the Manumea had most recently been sighted
We focused the campaign on key behaviours including:
- local hunting bans to reduce accidental Manumea bycatch
- Coordinated rat and cat control around key habitats
- Planting of native food trees such as Ma’ota to support forest regeneration
- Building trails, bird hides and signage to support eco-tours
Impact
- Greater awareness of the urgent need to protect the Manumea
- Creation and expansion of the Manumea Friendly Village network
- Reduced Lupe hunting, increased predator control and forest restoration in Manumea Friendly Villages
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