The Aleipata group of offshore islands have been identified as one of eight Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) in Samoa. They are located at the south-eastern end of Upolu Island at 14o3’447.28”S, 171o25’23.84”W (Nu’utele) and 14o4’22.11”S and 171o24’36.17”W (Nu’ulua) offshore. This project updates population estimates and establish baseline data and information on breeding seabirds of the Aleipata offshore islands and investigate the feasibility of future tracking studies of some species. There are four islands included in the group Nu’utele (108ha), Nu’ulua (25ha), Namua (15ha) and the smallest island Fanuatapu (6ha). All islands are under the jurisdiction of the Aleipata Marine Protected Area Committee which is made up of eleven communities of Aleipata district. These communities have customary rights over these islands. The islands are rich in biodiversity and both marine and terrestrial ecosystems support significant populations of seabirds...
