noaa.gov

Protecting American Samoa's Coral Reefs One Rain Garden at a Time

American Samoa is home to diverse and beautiful coral reef ecosystems. On the island of Tutuila, the Faga'alu watershed is a priority site identified by local resource managers and is the focus of NOAA and U.S Coral reef Task Force efforts to reduce the impacts of land-based sources of pollution to the region's coral reefs.

Land-based sources of pollution, from things like agricultural and stormwater runoff, deforestation, coastal development, etc., can disrupt coral growth and reproduction, disturb ecological function, and cause disease.

To help tackle the issue, NOAA and local partners are training residents in Tutuila on how to properly install rain gardens to filter stormwater runoff before it enters a coral reef area.

Click through the images below to see how a community came together to reduce pollution from the land and conserve their coral reefs!

Partners include: NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Horsley Witten Group, American Samoa Coral Reef Advisory Group, Faga'alu Village, Land Grant, and Samoa Maritime Company.