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 to a matter of national identity and shared responsibility.

We partnered with local communities to co-design the campaign strategy

We focused on those key villages where the Manumea had most recently been sighted such as Uafato and Falease’ela

We used humour, art, music and faith to highlight the key threats to the Manumea, including by-catch from hunting the Lupe (Pacific pigeon)

We supported the development of a network of “Manumea Friendly Villages”

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