National Park of American Samoa

	Email		Print
	Bookmark		Link

National Park of American Samoa

The National Park of American Samoa is a national park on the American territory of American Samoa

American Samoa

American Samoa is an Territories of the United States of the United States located in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of the sovereign state of Samoa, formerly known as Western Samoa....
, distributed across three separate islands: Tutuila

Tutuila

Tutuila is the main or largest island of American Samoa, and the third largest island in the Samoan Islands chain. The island is distinctive in the Pacific Ocean for its large, natural harbor—Pago Pago Harbor—on which the capital of American Samoa, Pago Pago, is located....
, Ofu-Olosega

Ofu-Olosega

Ofu and Olosega are parts of a volcanic doublet in the Manua of the Samoa Archipelago—part of American Samoa. Although geographically separate volcanic remnants, only a narrow strait naturally bridged by a shallow coral reef separates them....
, and Ta‘u. The park includes coral reef

Coral reef

Coral reefs are aragonite structures produced by living organisms. In most reefs the predominant organisms are colonial cnidarian that secrete an exoskeleton of calcium carbonate....
s and rain forest and is popular for hiking, snorkeling, and scuba diving

Scuba diving

SCUBA diving is Underwater diving, or taking part in another activity, while using a scuba set. By carrying a source of breathing gas , the scuba diver is able to stay underwater longer than with the simple breath-holding techniques used in snorkeling and free-diving, and is not hindered by air lines to a remote air source....
, although the primary purpose of the park is that of preservation of Samoa's unique natural resources. Of the park's , is land and is water.

Tutuila unit of the park is on the north end of the island near Pago Pago.

Discussion

Ask a question about 'National Park of American Samoa'

Start a new discussion about 'National Park of American Samoa'

Answer questions from other users

Full Discussion Forum

Encyclopedia

The National Park of American Samoa is a national park on the American territory of American Samoa

American Samoa

Tutuila

Ofu-Olosega

Coral reef

Scuba diving

Tutuila

The Tutuila unit of the park is on the north end of the island near Pago Pago. It is separated by Mount Alava and the Maugaloa Ridge and includes the Amalau Valley, Craggy Point, Tafeu Cove, and the islands of Pola and Manofa. It is the only part of the park accessible by car and attracts the vast majority of people. The park lands include a trail to the top of Mount Alava and historic World War II gun emplacement sites at Breakers Point and Blunt's Point.

Manua Island group

Ofu and Olosega

Ofu and Olosega can be accessed by small plane from the airport on Tutuila to Ofu. Accommodations are available on Ofu at the airport and at Asaga.

Ta‘u

Ta‘u can be reached by a flight from Tutuila to Fiti‘uta on Ta‘u. Accommodations are available on Ta‘u. A trail runs from Saua around Si’u Point to the southern coastline and stairs to the 3,000-foot summit of Lata Mountain.

Biodiversity

Because of its remote location, diversity among the terrestrial species is low. Approximately 30 percent of the plant and one bird species are endemic to the archipelago.

Fauna

Three species of bat

Bat

Bats are mammals in the order Chiroptera. The forelimbs of all bats are developed as wings, making them the only mammals naturally capable of sustained flight ....
are the only native mammals: two large fruit bats (Samoa Flying-fox

Samoa Flying-fox

The Samoa Flying-fox or Samoan Flying Fox is a species of bat in the Pteropodidae family. It is found in American Samoa, Fiji, and Samoa....
and Insular Flying-fox

Insular Flying-fox

The Insular Flying-fox or Pacific Flying Fox is a species of bat in the Pteropodidae family. It is found in American Samoa, the Cook Islands, Fiji, New Caledonia, Niue, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, the Solomon Islands, Tonga, and Vanuatu....
) and a small insectivore

Insectivore

An insectivore is a type of carnivore with a diet that consists chiefly of insects and similar small creatures.Although individually small, insects exist in enormous numbers and make up a very large part of the animal biomass in almost all non-marine environments....
, the Pacific Sheath-Tailed Bat

Pacific Sheath-Tailed Bat

The Pacific Sheath-tailed Bat or Polynesian Sheath-tailed Bat is a species of sac-winged bat in the Emballonuridae family.It is found in American Samoa, Fiji, Guam, Micronesia, Palau, Samoa, Tonga, and Vanuatu....
. They serve an important role in pollinating the island's plants. The sheath-tailed bat was nearly eliminated by Cyclone Val in 1991. A major role for the park is to control and eradicate invasive plant and animal species

Invasive species

Invasive species is a phrase with several definitions. The first definition expresses the phrase in terms of non-indigenous species that adversely affect the habitats they invade economically, environmentally or ecologically....
such as feral pigs and rats, which threaten the park's ecosystem. There are twenty seabird species including the Tahiti Petrel

Tahiti Petrel

The Tahiti Petrel, P?trel De Tahiti, or Petrel De Tahit? is a species of seabird in the Procellariidae family.It is found in American Samoa, Australia, Fiji, French Polynesia, Mexico, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Vanuatu, and possibly the Cook Islands....
, the Spotless Crake

Spotless Crake

The Spotless Crake is a species of bird in the rail family, Rallidae.It is found in American Samoa, Australia, the Cook Islands, Fiji, French Polynesia, Indonesia, Micronesia, New Zealand, Niue, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Pitcairn, Samoa, Solomon Islands, and Tonga....
, and the Many-coloured Fruit-dove

Many-coloured Fruit-dove

The Many-coloured Fruit-dove is a species of bird in the Columbidae family. It occurs on islands in the south-west Pacific Ocean where it is found in Fiji, the Samoan Islands, and Tonga....
.

Flora

The islands are mostly covered by tropical rainforest

Tropical rainforest

Tropical rainforests are usually found around the equator. They are common in Asia, Australia, Africa, South America, Central America, Southern Mexico and on many of the Pacific Islands....
, including cloud forest

Cloud forest

A cloud forest, also called a fog forest, is a generally tropical or subtropical evergreen montane Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests characterized by a high incidence of low-level cloud cover, usually at the canopy level....
on Tau and lowland ridge forest on Tutuila. Most plants arrived by chance from Southeast Asia

Southeast Asia

Southeast Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India and north of Australia....
. There are 487 native flowering plants and ferns and over 100 endemic plant species.

Marine

The surrounding waters are filled with a diversity of marine life, including sea turtles, humpback whales, about 890 species of fish, and 200 coral species. Some of the largest living coral colonies (Porites

Porites

Porites is a genus of Scleractinia coral which is characterised by a finger-like morphology . Members of this genus have widely spaced calices, a well-developed wall reticulum and are symmetry ....
) in the world are at Tau Island.

History

The National Park of American Samoa was established on October 31, 1988 by Public Law 100-571 but the NPS could not buy the land because of traditional communal land system. This was resolved on September 9, 1993, when the National Park Service

National Park Service

The National Park Service is the List of United States federal agencies that manages all List of areas in the United States National Park System, many U.S....
entered into a 50-year lease for the park land from the Samoan village councils. In 2002, Congress approved a thirty percent expansion on Olosega and Ofu islands.

External links

showing the present park boundaries (pdf).
Seacology
Seacology

Seacology is a non-profit, non-governmental organization with the sole mission of preserving the ecosystems and cultures of islands throughout the globe....