Liberia: LFMW Secures Full Membership in AICA, Reinforces Its People-Centered Conservation Philosophy

Monrovia – The Liberia Forest Media Watch (LFMW) has officially been admitted into the Alliance for Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities for Conservation in Africa (AICA), marking a significant milestone in the organization’s expanding role in community-driven forest governance and rights-based conservation.

The approval, conveyed in a letter addressed to LFMW’s Founder and Team Leader, Paul M. Kanneh, was issued by AICA’s Interim Chair, Mr. Malidadi Langa. In the communication, Mr. Langa expressed delight over LFMW’s acceptance into the Alliance, noting that the organization’s thematic focus strongly aligns with AICA’s priority areas, particularly its commitment to strengthening the voices, rights, and leadership of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs) in conservation across the continent.

“Your membership is highly valued… and will be considered a great institutional contribution to the Alliance’s growth,” the letter stated. “We trust that our joint endeavors will be mutually beneficial and will lead to great success in putting people at the center of conservation in Africa.”

AICA, headquartered in Namibia and has alliance members in several African countries with Liberia being the latest, is an independent, Indigenous People and Local Communities (IPLCs) led and centered Pan-African alliance that harnesses and amplifies the collective voice of Africa’s IPLCs and prioritizes their engagement in all policy arenas relevant to their land and land-based resources, territories and conservation. Its purpose is centered on visibility, equity, representation, and meaningful participation in decision making bodies that have the potential to impact IPLCs collective and individual rights.

LFMW’s acceptance into AICA strengthens its long-standing philosophy that conservation must begin with community rights, lived experiences, and local leadership. The organization has consistently championed a media-driven approach to elevating rural voices, promoting transparency in the forest sector, and ensuring that communities are not merely participants but decision-makers in how their lands and resources are managed.

That philosophy was clearly reflected during LFMW’s participation in the August 2025 AICA Liberia chapter gathering, where Forest Hour Coordinator Matthias F. Larbeindee read the AICA Liberia Communiqué for adoption. His remarks underscored the transformative potential of the initiative in re-shaping conservation governance in Liberia.

AICA Liberia Communiqué: A Vision Rooted in Community Power

The communiqué adopted at the gathering outlines a forward-looking framework that mirrors LFMW’s advocacy values, community ownership, equity, transparency, and inclusive leadership.

At its core, the document calls for protection of collective land rights and formal recognition of Community Conserved Areas (CCAs), strict adherence to Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) to guarantee community agency, documentation and promotion of traditional ecological knowledge, especially through youth and women mentorship, strengthening customary leadership structures to reinforce local governance and gender-responsive and equitable benefit-sharing systems.

It also call for community-driven climate and biodiversity resilience strategies, aligned with national frameworks, platforms for multi-stakeholder dialogue and regional knowledge exchange, participatory monitoring, annual reporting, and transparency mechanisms, and narrative change through partnership with media organizations, amplifying community stories and cultural heritage

To ensure effective implementation, the communiqué mandates the creation of an AICA Liberia Coordination Team, a Resource Mobilization Taskforce, and a Community Grievance Redress Platform, structures designed to support long-term coordination, funding access, and rights protection.

A Step Forward for Liberia’s Conservation Movement

LFMW’s new membership in AICA is expected to deepen its collaboration with community structures, civil society partners, and regional conservation networks. It also positions the organization to contribute more robustly to rights-based advocacy, forest governance reform, and media engagement that uplifts rural perspectives.

For LFMW, joining AICA is not just institutional recognition, it is a reaffirmation of its mission: ensuring that the people who depend on the forest have the loudest voice in shaping its future.

As AICA prepares to share detailed membership materials and next steps, LFMW says it remains committed to strengthening community empowerment, promoting forest integrity, and advancing a conservation vision that places Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities at the heart of decision-making.

“This is an important moment for Liberia,” Mr. Larbeindee noted after the communiqué’s adoption. “When communities lead, conservation becomes sustainable, equitable, and truly transformative.”