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

Savai'i

Savaii is the largest and highest island in Samoa and the Samoa Islands chain. It is also the biggest landmass in Polynesia outside Hawaii and New Zealand. The island of Savai'i is also referred to by Samoans as Salafai, a classical Samoan term used in oratory and prose...

 in Samoa

Samoa

Samoa , officially the Independent State of Samoa, formerly known as Western Samoa is a country encompassing the western part of the Samoan Islands in the South Pacific Ocean. It became independent from New Zealand in 1962. The two main islands of Samoa are Upolu and one of the biggest islands in...

. It is situated on a peninsula

Peninsula

A peninsula is a piece of land that is bordered by water on three sides but connected to mainland. In many Germanic and Celtic languages and also in Baltic, Slavic and Hungarian, peninsulas are called "half-islands"....

 on the southeast coast of the island in Palauli

Palauli

Palauli is a district and village of Samoa, with a population of 8,984. It consists of two sections on the southern side of Savai'i...

 district.The population is 408 (2006 Census).

Tafua Rainforest Preserve

The Tafua Rainforest Preserve was established in 1990 as a covenant between the village chiefs (matai

Fa'amatai

Fa'amatai is the chiefly system of Samoa, central to the organization of Samoan society.It is the traditional indigenous form of governance in the Samoa Islands, comprising American Samoa and the Independent State of Samoa...

) and funds from Seacology

Seacology

Seacology is a nonprofit 501 charitable organization headquartered in Berkeley, California that focuses on preserving island ecosystems and cultures around the globe. Founded in 1991, it began with the work of ethnobotanist Paul Alan Cox, who researched tropical plants and their medicinal value in...

, model Christie Brinkley

Christie Brinkley

Christie Brinkley is an American model and actress best known for her three consecutive appearances on the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue in the late 1970s and early 1980s, for her long-running contract with CoverGirl, the longest ever of any model in history, and for her marriage...

 and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency

Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency

The Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency is a government agency of the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs. Sida is responsible for organization of the bulk of Sweden's official development assistance to developing countries....

 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

Samoa Flying-fox

The Samoa Flying Fox or Samoan Flying Fox is a species of megabat in the Pteropodidae family. It is found in American Samoa, Fiji, and Samoa. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry forests...

 bats.
The forest is also one of the few habitats for the endemic and endangered Tooth-billed Pigeon

Tooth-billed Pigeon

The Tooth-billed Pigeon also known as Samoan Pigeon, is a medium-sized, approximately 34 cm long, dark pigeon with reddish feet and bare skin around eye. The underparts, head and neck are blackish with a slight blue-green iridescence, and the tail, wings-coverts and tertials are chestnut,...

 (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 6km from the main road at a turnoff five minutes drive south of Salelologa

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...

 township and ferry terminal.

See also

• List of protected areas of Samoa
• List of birds of Samoa
• Samoan plant names
  Samoan plant names
  These are some Samoan plant names in alphabetical order in the Samoan language and their corresponding descriptions in English. Many are used in traditional medicines in the Samoa Islands comprising Samoa and American Samoa.-See also:...
  
  , including scientific names and many plants used in traditional medicine.