Tafua is a seaside village on the island of Savai'i in

Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands (Manono Island, Manono an ...

. It is situated on a

peninsula A peninsula (; ) is a landform that extends from a mainland and is surrounded by water on most, but not all of its borders. A peninsula is also sometimes defined as a piece of land bordered by water on three of its sides. Peninsulas exist on all ...

on the southeast coast of the island in

Palauli Palauli is a district and village of Samoa, with a population (2016 Census) of 9,300. It consists of two sections on the southern side of Savai'i. The capital is Vailoa which is also referred to as Vailoa i Palauli (Vailoa in Palauli district). ...

district. The population is 406. While traditionally in Palauli, the village is in electoral district of Fa'asaleleaga 1.

Tafua Rainforest Preserve

The Tafua Rainforest Preserve was established in 1990 as a covenant between the village chiefs ('' matai'') and funds from

Seacology Seacology is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) charitable organization headquartered in Berkeley, California, that works to preserve island ecosystems and cultures around the world. Founded in 1991, it began with the work of ethnobotanist Paul Alan Cox, ...

, model

Christie Brinkley Christie Lee Brinkley (née Hudson; born February 2, 1954) is an American model, actress, and entrepreneur. Brinkley gained worldwide fame with her appearances in ''Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issues'', ultimately appearing on an unprecedented ...

and the

Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency The Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency ( sv, Styrelsen för internationellt utvecklingssamarbete, ) is a government agency of the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs. Sida is responsible for organization of the bulk of Swede ...

to protect native rainforests. The preserve includes walking tracks in the rainforest and a path to the Tafua volcanic crater where there are rare

Samoa flying-fox The Samoa flying fox or Samoan flying fox (''Pteropus samoensis'') is a species of flying fox in the family Pteropodidae. It is found in American Samoa, Fiji, and Samoa (where it is known as ''pe'a'' and ''pe'a vao''). Its natural habitat is subt ...

bats. The forest is also one of the few habitats for the

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

and endangered

tooth-billed pigeon The tooth-billed pigeon (''Didunculus strigirostris''), also known as the ''manumea'', is a large pigeon found only in Samoa. It is the only living species of genus ''Didunculus''. A related extinct species, the Tongan tooth-billed pigeon (''Did ...

(''Didunculus strigirostris''), called Manumea, the national bird of Samoa. Seacology also funded two fishing boats for the village to help generate local income and livelihoods. The coastal village is 6 km from the main road at a turnoff five minutes drive south of

Salelologa Salelologa is a village district at the east end of Savai'i island in Samoa. It is the main entry point into the island with the only ferry terminal on Savai'i. It also serves as the main township for shopping and public amenities with a market s ...

township and ferry terminal.

References

{{Coord, 13, 47, S, 172, 13, W, region:WS_type:city, display=title Populated places in Palauli