Liberia’s Simple Forest Protection Plan Puts Communities in Charge
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📰 The quick summary: Liberia has launched a pilot project paying communities directly to protect rainforests, offering a straightforward alternative to complex carbon credit systems while addressing the country’s record deforestation rates.
📈 One key stat: Liberia lost over 38,000 hectares of humid primary forest in 2024, the highest deforestation rate ever recorded for the country, highlighting the urgent need for effective conservation solutions.
💬 One key quote: “It’s taking some responsibility and saying these communities are doing something for all of us, for the planet and environment, and therefore they need to be rewarded. They need to be incentivized for that,” said Silas Siakor, a long-time environmental campaigner and founder of IDL.
1️⃣ The big picture: Liberia holds half of West Africa’s remaining rainforests, home to endangered species like western chimpanzees and pygmy hippos. Despite this ecological importance, the country experienced record deforestation in 2024, losing over 38,000 hectares of primary forest due to agriculture, logging, and mining. In response, a new pilot project in southeastern Sinoe county takes a direct approach to forest conservation by paying 28 communities $1.50 per hectare annually to protect their forests. This initiative bypasses the complexities of carbon credit systems and puts decision-making power directly in community hands, potentially creating a model for forest preservation across Africa.
2️⃣ Why is this good news: This innovative pilot program offers immediate financial benefits to communities protecting forests rather than exploiting them, creating real economic alternatives to destructive activities. By making direct payments for conservation, the project eliminates expensive foreign brokers and complex monitoring systems that often delay benefits in traditional carbon credit programs. Communities maintain control over how funds are spent, empowering local decision-making while protecting biodiversity hotspots. The program also pioneers a practical implementation of the Paris Agreement’s “non-market approach” to carbon sequestration, establishing a real-world example that could influence global climate negotiations at the upcoming COP30 meeting.
3️⃣ What’s next: The project needs to find funding beyond the initial two-year pilot to ensure long-term success. Officials from Liberia’s Forestry Development Authority will train community members to patrol their forests for intruders. Satellite analysis and site inspections will monitor compliance with conservation agreements, with communities receiving direct payments if they fulfill their obligations.
Read the full story here: Mongabay – Liberia has a new plan to protect its rainforests. Can it work?
