Monrovia – The fourth steering Committee meeting for trans-boundary collaboration in the Tai-Grebo forest has ended in Monrovia.
As you may be aware, Liberia and Cote d’Ivoire initiated a discussion on a possible collaboration between our two sisters’ nations with aim to strategize, manage and conserve the Tai-Grebo-Sapo Forest Complex.
The Forestry Development Authority Managing Director Darlington Tuagben said the government of Liberia is committed to conserving at least thirty percent of its remaining forest cover.
“Several proposed protected forest areas have been earmarked since the end of the civil conflict and the Grebo/Krahn protected area was one of the protected areas earmarked for establishment.
The Sapo National Park was already established and the need to have contiguous protected areas to allow the free movement of animals from one forest to another became eminent,” Tuagben said.
The FDA boss furthered that the Tai forest was seen to be an ideal forest that could be joined to have trans boundary conservation initiative.
Tuagben said, the government of Liberia tries to achieve the management of the Tai-Grebo-Sapo forest complex through dynamic and forward-looking strategies and interventions including the improvement of the management capacity for protected areas.
Tuagben averred that the sustainable management of the Tai-Grebo Sapo Forest Complex is challenging due to the financial capacity limitation of the Forestry Development Authority.
“International support is therefore crucial to meet the ambitious commitment Liberia made to several conventions,” he said.
“This discussion resulted in the establishment of steering Committee to guide and monitor the process which meets annually, alternatively in Cote d’Ivoire and Liberia.”
Tuagben said, the first meeting of the steering Committee was held in March and was funded by the BMZ and presided over by our colleagues, followed by the second held in Monrovia in June which was also funded by the BMZ and UNEP-GRASP and presided over by the Forestry Development Authority.
“The third meeting was again held in Abidjan on November which was funded by GIZ.
The current steering Committee is composed of government officials from our both countries Liberia and Cote d’Ivoire as well as our non-government, donors/ technical and financial partners who are all represented in the room,” he said.
The FDA boss recalled that during the last three steering committee meetings, an urgent action matrix was prepared and reported upon, which defines the agreed action points, roles and responsibilities of steering committee members and stakeholders.
“The Forestry Development Authority and its partners have flagged the proposed Grebo-Krahn National Park boundary line in the Glaro District of River Gee County.This is part of the processes for completion of the gazettement of Grebo-Krahn National Park,” He said.
The national level and pre-Gazettement consultations have been completed. Strategy has been put together by all stakeholders and presented to FDA by the WCF.
WCF identified the Krahn-Bassa National Forest as conservation priority area for Liberia and FDA requested WCF to begin the baseline work for the creation of that protected area.
This area is potentially linking two other proposed protected areas and covering as much of the Krahn –Bassa National Forest and Grebo-Krahn National Park, have been identified.