Monrovia, Liberia; March 18, 2026: The Forestry Development Authority (FDA), in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) through the EU-funded Leh Go Green Project, has officially approved the use of the Community Conservation Agreement (CCA) Guide, marking a major milestone in Liberia’s commitment to sustainable forest management and community-driven conservation.
This follows months of development work led by consultant Atty—Roland Lepol, who conducted extensive consultations with key forestry institutions and forestowning communities across Liberia.
Discussions, field visits, and stakeholder workshops ensured that the Guide reflects the realities and aspirations of communities that depend on forests for their livelihoods and cultural identity.
The Guide is now ready for use by national stakeholders and partners.
The Managing Director of the FDA offered a powerful endorsement of the Guide’s importance for Liberia’s future forest governance. “This Community Conservation Agreement Guide gives Liberia the structure it has long needed to negotiate fair, transparent, and sustainable conservation partnerships.
Mr. Rudolph J. Merab said the CCA empowers forest communities, strengthens accountability, and ensures that conservation efforts truly benefit the people who have protected these forests for generations.
“This document is a major step toward safeguarding our natural heritage for both current and future generations,” Merab noted
Responding to an Evolving Forest Landscape
Liberia holds some of West Africa’s last remaining intact rainforest, critical for biodiversity, climate resilience, and local economies. Historically, forest management has centered on commercial logging and conservation forestry under Community Forest Management Agreements (CFMAs).
But with rising community interest in conservation-based partnerships and increasing commitments from private sector actors and conservation NGOs, a structured, standardized framework for conservation agreements has become essential.
What the CCA Guide Provides
The approved Guide introduces two practical tools including a Community Conservation Agreement Template which is a structured framework for drafting and formalizing conservation agreements and a Negotiation Guide for Forest Communities and Stakeholders, which is a resource to ensure fair, informed, and transparent decision-making during negotiations.
Together, these tools enhance legal clarity, minimize disputes, strengthen accountability, and ensure communities receive fair benefits from conservation efforts.
A Foundation for Sustainable Partnerships With Liberia’s forest communities increasingly embracing conservation as part of their development pathway, the CCA Guide offers a clear roadmap for government, communities, and partners to collaborate effectively.
The approval of this Guide represents a decisive step forward in improving forest governance, empowering local communities, and strengthening conservation outcomes nationwide.
National Partners Who Made It Possible
The development process benefited from the collaboration of key conservation and environmental institutions, including:
- Conservation International (CI)
- Society for the Conservation of Nature in Liberia (SCNL)
- Wild Chimpanzee Foundation (WCF)
- Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
- Liberia Land Authority (LLA)
- Fauna & Flora (FF)
- Skills & Agriculture Development Studies (SADS)
- Partners in Development (PADEV)
- NU-CFMB-National Union Community Forest Managing Body
- Nature of the Africa-Guinea Forest
- Foundation for Community Initiatives.
Significant contributions also came from the community governance structures of Konobo (Grand Gedeh), Bondi Mandingo (Gbarpolu), Lower Sokpo (Grand Cape Mount), and Gbeapo, Potupo, and Sarbo (River Gee), whose local expertise shaped the Guide’s practical direction.
The Leh Go Green Project is funded by the European Union and implemented by UNDP in partnership with the Forestry Development Authority and other national stakeholders.
