Buchanan – Environmental stakeholders on Tuesday, May 28, 2019 began scrutinizing a report on ‘Climate vulnerability and risk assessment for the agriculture, fisheries and forestry sectors’ in Buchanan, Grand Bassa County.
The ‘Climate vulnerability and risk assessment for the agriculture, fisheries and forestry sectors in Liberia’ study, was done under a two-year project to advance the National Adaptation Plans (NAP) process for medium term investment planning in climate-sensitive sectors and coastal areas in Liberia.
The study was funded by the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and implemented by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the Environmental Protection Agency of Liberia (EPA).
It updated relevant climate vulnerability and risk assessment in agriculture, fisheries and forestry sectors, is intended to help Liberia respond to risks posed by climate change.
The study outcome will enable decisions makers and the most vulnerable population adequate tools/information to integrate climate change in to their planning strategies.
It will also placed them in a suitable position to make better short and long term adaptation programs, policies and strategies for Liberia.
The project also seek to enabling Liberia to develop the knowledge base and capacity required to reduce vulnerability to climate change and to facilitate the integration of climate change adaptation into national development planning processes.
Speaking at the start of the two-day National Validation Workshop in Buchanan, EPA Deputy Executive Director, Randall M. Dobayou welcome participants and asked them to properly scrutinize the document.
He disclosed that Liberia is highly vulnerable to climate change due to limited infrastructure and services and noted “our country is extremely poor”.
Hon. Dobayou said the National Adaptation Plans (NAC) project was initiated to develop programs that would target climate change impact in Liberia.
Speaking further, he made reference to marine transgressions in New Kru Town and other places across the country and said the government made some intervention in Buchanan, which was hit by erosion.
The EPA Deputy Executive Director cautioned against the illegal and uncontrollable harvesting of mangrove swamp in Monrovia and its environs for the purposes of drying fish and for settlement purposes.
According to him, a group of women in Philippines are cultivating mangrove along the coast to avoid flooding and other climate change impact.
“Why are we destroying mangroves when people in Kenya are using it to make money through carbon credit sale?” Dobayou inquired.
Also speaking at the start of the validation workshop, Liberia Forestry Development Authority FDA Deputy Managing Director, Joseph Tally said he was happy to represent the FDA at the validation of the report and said assured that the document would be carefully analyzed because Liberia is challenged by climate change.
He said the impact of climate change is already visible in and around us and noted we can see the changes in the level f rainfall, the coastal erosion near coastal cities, flooding in cities and drought in some parts of Liberia.
“These are symptoms of climate change. As the forest cover is impacted through human actions and natural causes, rivers, creeks, tree and animal species are disappearing from the phase of the planet. Dry season and the rain season are now irregularly occurring nowadays in Liberia,” Deputy Managing Director Tally said.
