Examination of how governance programs have affected local institutions and practices in Samoa. Suggests practical ways for more efficiently tailoring future programs to the development needs of the country. Case studies explore issues of nascent civil society, problems of urban management, non-government organisations working in the area of women's health, relationships between the national government and villages, and the subversion of custom and constitutional processes to personal political ambitions. Includes notes on contributors, glossary, references and index. Editors are academics in the fields of history and Pacific studies.

Paul Cox describes his research and adventures in Samoa, work that led to him being hailed by TIME magazine as a hero of medicine and awarded the Goldman Environmental Prize. Working closely with the native healers, Cox studied traditional rainforest remedies and is credited with finding natural drugs that can be used in treating AIDS, discovering a rare species of flying fox, launching an international campaign to save a 30,000-acre rainforest and helping to rebuild a village destroyed by a hurricane. Cox's respect for the traditional villagers and his excitement and perseverance make Nafunua a story of scientific and personal discovery.

The five case studies from Belize, Mauritania, Samoa, Philippines and Japan were prepared as part of a set of 16 studies gathering national experiences from around the world. The studies are intended to ground the FAO Technical Guidelines on Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and Fisheries1 in practical experience and to inform the use of MPAs globally