The manumea, or tooth-billed pigeon, is endemic to Samoa where it is a flagship species and a priority species for conservation. It is believed to have declined from between 4,800 - 7,200 in the mid-1980s to a few hundred by 2006.
The development of village rangers for manumea research
Samoa Conservation Society
There may now be only a few dozen left, and it has been upgraded to Critically Endangered by the IUCN. Habitat loss and degradation, illegal hunting, and impacts from invasive species are thought to be the primary reasons for its decline.
Samoa Conservation Society (SCS), a local non-governmental organisation dedicated to conserving Samoa’s biological diversity and natural heritage, is working to protect the manumea, but there is little information available on its current distribution, population and biology to help make informed decisions on how to successfully conserve it. Auckland Zoo Conservation Fund grants have funded the development of a Manumea Recovery Plan and its subsequent implementation by the SCS, as well as predator control programmes to manage key threats to manumea in core habitat areas.
We believe in protecting wildlife, in the Pacific and beyond – and we know you do too!
Help us continue to support conservation efforts around the world.