A sustainable education, communication and awareness are critical and essential to a new brand of product that is introduced wherever.
Liberian providing patriotic services to protect forest resources in the proposed Grebo National Park
Therefore, handling communication in this sector from the crafting of the National Forestry Reform Law of 2006 processes till present, it is clear that the Forestry Development Authority (FDA) needs the needed assistance to activate and redeem one of the world hot biodiversity sports.
Nevertheless, these communities may have some forms of behavior change when they will understand and constantly be encouraged of the benefit they stand to receive; hence, rural inhabitants settling near protected areas will understand, believe, live and act conservation.
This kind of sustain behavior change communication strategy will required huge financial empowerment the FDA willing need assistance due to financial suffocation this entity have experienced over the years to even operate as a field oriented institution whose 90 percent work is in the forest or field and could not even execute such function for these and other reasons.
Splendid treaties may be signed at international conferences to promulgate concrete ideas for growth and protection of forest corridors, parks, reserves without massive sustained education to sensitize them, it will be a wasted efforts to attend these high-level meeting.
Since 1983, what Liberian have never heard about park and what will become of benefit to them when tourists, and others comes to communities; do we sustained our awareness program, how many schools and cells do we have to drill this information down to the parents and grandparents.
Law enforcement is just for me will be considered by rural communities as do NOT hunt, and do not do this and THAT; I think communities dwellers may considered law enforcers as some people who are stopping them from their God’s giving inheritance.
Sustainable communication from different channels (strategies) to even incorporate even the different kinds of audiences in communities will greatly assist in sending deep down the information.
It’s our expectation that the objectives of the meeting will be achieved; specifically, those dissimilar actions that lead to the promotion of climate change will be fully addressed as West Africa is exhorting all efforts to maintain her remaining forest which Liberia holds 43 per cent.
As Liberia redoubled her efforts to maintain her God’s given inheritance; “the forests”, the entire nation was greeted with a shocking story about a forest ranger that lost his life in the course of the discharge of this duty.
The Fourth Steering Committing Meeting that is taking place today Monday, May 29th -30th will have an opened window on how to address this national and global concern; because “Conservation” is not only Liberia’s business, a Sapo National Park (SNP) Ranger was killed in cold blood why in the course of performing his duty; what will this body say to put to repose the fear.
Notably, in this time and age conservation should be the concern of all, thereby, the rule of law must be respected; law enforcement to protect these parks or areas proposed to become protected be directly under the full custody of trained personnel.
Without doubt in the mind of anyone, there is an appeal from afar for our forest rangers to stop being beaten and killed from the hands of people who are above the law; if these communities have really grasped the essence of protecting their forest, they would have rather hail and work with them, not the opposite.
Communities are collaborating with alleged drugs dealers who established camps in these protected areas and allegedly give young people drugs to mine in these parks at the same time providing some gifts to local government officials, elders and sharing these illegal proceeds generated out of the park with those claiming to be owners of the forest.
These alleged drugs dealers who are mostly foreigners accordingly purchased guns for poachers in the park; as they mine, they killed the animals for commercials purposes and women go out into these camps setup to buy bush meat.
This is a syndicate that is needed to be crushed even before; because for anyone to serve as forest ranger in this kind of area without a weapon for protection, one may be skeptical to serve where his friend lost his life for doing his assigned job.
Coming back to the trans-boundary corridor between Liberia and Ivory Coast, it is about time for these sisters’ countries, Liberia, Guinea, Sierra Leone and Ivory Coast need to request her respective Government to train forest rangers to carry arms.
We are aware that some parts of West Africa and East African Rangers are trained to carry guns for the protection of these natural heritage; I think we will get the support of the world to request the training of forest rangers to bravely protect our parks and proposed protected areas.
Richie Garley Grear, Media and Public Affairs, FDA