JALAY TOWN, Oct. 2, 2024- The Act Adopting the National Wildlife Conservation and Protected Area Management Law of Liberia aims to maintain, protect and preserve Liberia’s unique biodiversity in a manner that supports both the recovery of wildlife and the sustainable use of wildlife products by forest-dependent communities.
The same act also gives full responsibility to the government of Liberia through the FDA to properly managed the safeguarding of the park, but on the contrary, illegal activities continue to increase daily.
Poaching and Mining are major among illegal activities within the country’s oldest biodiversity hotspot (the sapo national park). The ongoing situation is perceived to be on the increase as a result of government failure to institute drastic measures that could safeguard the park, as well as the introduction of livelihood programs. Though several national and international organizations are partnering with government thought FDA, providing financial and technical support, but there still exist alarming increase of illegalities at the park.
Bush meats on sale around surrounding communities of the national parks
In August 2023, government thought FDA declared the park “No go zone”, meaning it has cleared up the park of those illegal occupants following a joint collaboration with the southeast traditional team for three weeks intensive clearing. Currently, the park is expose as illegal activities resurfaced, leaving wildlife and other forest resources more vulnerable by the day.
Speaking to the Liberia forest Media Watch during recent field visit, several affected community dwellers blamed FDA as being responsible for the ongoing illegal activities, adding that the failure of government to introduce livelihood programs as an alternative for affected communities is a contributing factor to the increase of illegalities in the park.
Augustine Tarlue, a youth representative from one of the affected communities in Sinoe said the park will continue to be engaged by hunters and miners simply because there’s no other means they have for their upkeep for survivability.
“Because we don’t have any other means for living, we see the forest as our own where we go to trip, hunt and do gold Mining in order to put food on the table and address other basic needs for our family” he said.
“We are here and nothing doing, we depend on the forestry for farming and other activities for our upkeep, but everyday FDA people saying we should not go in and around the park but nothing they are doing too to help us since they are stopping us from going in the park for hunting Mining and other activities”- Joseph Pyne, another affected resident from wedjah told our investigation.
Elder Joseph Pyne said by introducing livelihood programs for affected residents will ease the tension on the park, added that no communities’ member will focus going into the park once they are engaged into something that is provided them income for their upkeep.
“If we are empower to sustain ourselves and family, no one will go in the park and infact we ourselves will be the security helping the FDA to protect the park more and more” he stressed.
For his part, Emmanuel Wesseh who’s the head of the traditional council in Sinoe County wants FDA recruit affected communities’ residents to beef up the strength of the park rangers, this according to him is another means of empowering the locals.
Chief Wesseh believes that because affected communities’ dwellers are not captured in the activities of safeguarding the park, several of them feel unhappy and are not considering the park as their own.
” Until government thought FDA can consider the decision of recruiting more affected residents in different capabilities to serve the park, illegal activities will continue to exist there” Chief Wesseh explained.
Meanwhile, surrounding residents from Sinoe, River Gee and Grand Gedeh that hold the sapo national park are also accusing the Ministry of Mine and Energy assigned agents who according to them are receiving bribes from those illegal miners under cover and allowing them to mind with no consideration that the park is protected by law.
Chedepo district former commissioner and senior elder of River Gee County Bokon Dweh Swen, said there’s is a need for government thought the Ministry of Mines and Energy to enforce monitoring on those assigned as agents around surrounding communities of the park and in rural Liberia as a hold.
Photo of illegal mining site within the Sapo National Park
“While it’s true we are calling on government thought FDA and partners to introduce livelihood programs for our people around the park as a means of preventing illegal activities, the ministry of Mines should also enforce monitoring of their agents. They guys are under cover take money from the miners in the name of protecting them while the carry out their activities even in protected areas of the park” He explained.
Dweh Swen believe that the alleged action of the MME agents undermine government and donor efforts to safeguarding the park.
When contacted for commit on the issue, FDA Technical Conservation Manager Jerry Yonmah confirmed in a telephone interview on +231-776-462-564 that indeed his agency is aware of current illegalities at the part, but said roadmap plan has been developed as part of new measures to safeguard the part.
“We are aware that the no go zone following the clearing in December 2023 is now being violated, but we have set up a roadmap beginning from the national level to the local level in order to ensure that we collaborate to protect the park” he said.
The FDA Technical Conservation Manager said financial challenge is a key factor affecting the entity operations, adding that following the design of the roadmap as part of new measures, they have written donors for funding and are waiting for response in order to begin the rollout of its new strategies aimed to safeguard the park.
Yonmah disclosed that plans are underway to recruit one hundred persons who will be trained and employed to beef up the rangers fore at the park. He said on the issue of livelihoods programs, the agency is working with partners behind the scene to ensure something is done positively in such direction.
He said since the closure of the West Africa Biodiversity and Climate Change livelihood community initiative project, there has not been anything major.
Jerry Yonmah said despite government and partners efforts in protecting the part, some Liberian citizens are the ones leading the influx of foreign nationals into the Park, noting, “Having people who are anti to government’s policy doesn’t speak good for the country and that such anti behavior needs to be prohibited’.
The FDA Technical Manager believes that until Liberian citizens around the country’s rich natural reserves can join forces with the government, illegal operations in protected areas will continue to undermine revenue generation and render the Sapo Park vulnerable to degradation.
Youmah said from the very beginning, the government of Liberia through FDA instituted a civil approach through broader community consultations with surrounding counties of the park as a first step but failed, adding the government will now use force to remove illegal miners and poachers from the Park, and as well as confiscate their equipment/tools.
Meanwhile, civil society organizations working to promote conservational forest governance and accountability are calling for government swift intervention to ensure that the protection of species and other forest resources.
Lawrence Bloh, Executive Director of Sinoe Natural Resources Right Movement, a civil organization based in Greenville said there is an urgent need for the Government through the FDA to institute measures to safeguard the park.
“The protection of the park is a national concern, we are calling on relevant actors to act and not” Bloh said.
Lawrence attributed the increase illegalities at the park to weak enforcement and limited man power(Rengers) who are to monitor through regular patrol.
Meanwhile, some concern citizens in Sinoe county want the national legislature pass new laws that will enable park rengers to carry fire arm. This according to them will help to enforce proper regular monitoring patrol within the park.
Seminal suggestion was made recently by former FDA Managing Director Harrison Kanwea when he served as keynote speaker during the celebration of World Wildlife Day, calling on the Government of Liberia to equip park rangers with firearms and other necessary logistics in order to enhance the effectiveness of safeguarding protected areas and national parks across the country.
Mr. Kanwea harbors the belief that by equipping park rangers with firearms, it will help reduce illegalities, adding that because of the lack of protection and logistics, rangers are not enforcing monitoring through regular patrols, thereby posing threats to the wellbeing of endangered species within biodiversity hotspots and zones.
“When I was at the FDA, we made these recommendations but didn’t materialized. I think if this government can provide logistics and training for the use of firearms to rangers, it will help to enforce their regular patrols and monitoring,” he said.
The former FDA Boss stressed the need for the overall protection of the protected areas in Liberia, adding that the protection of conservation areas and wildlife is key in booming revenue for the country.
Up to press time, efforts made to get a world from chairpersons and committee of the lower and upper house on autonomous agencies was not materialized after several engagements through texts and phone calls.
From every stand point, there is a need for swift intervention by government aims at instituting measures to safeguard the park and its plant and animal species.
Established in 1983 as a protected area, the Sapo National Park is globally known for its containment of important plants, animals and other valuable resources. The Park remains susceptible to degradation due to the uncontrollable influx of illegal miners aided by residents around the Park despite global attention. The FDA that is charged with the responsibility to manage the Park has proven less capable of doing so. The Authority has, however, attributed its incapacitation to lack of adequate financial and logistical support to monitor the forest sector.
