By Paul M. Kanneh & Matthias F. Larbeindee, Liberia Forest Media Watch
Unregulated agriculture activities, hunting of endangered species and unsustainable logging have been a normal practice by residents of Salayea (Lofa) and Gba (Nimba) community forests. In the past, Gba and Salayea did not spare the forest from exploitation. They burn charcoal, hunt wildlife and cut trees without thinking about the repercussion on themselves and the future generations.
Salayea and Gba communities were given formal permission to own and manage their forests in 2019 and 2011 respectively, and are thenceforth Authorized Forest Communities. Nonetheless, this way of life continued until the launch of the project, “Strengthening Sustainability Practices in the Management of Community Forests in Liberia” in 2020 and sponsored by the Finnish Government through Siemenpuu Foundation. The three main focus areas of the project were: strengthening community governance, promoting sustainable management of forest resources and enhancing community livelihoods.
After five years of engaging community members with various training courses including education, awareness and financial empowerment, Salayea and Gba Authorized Forest Communities are witnessing a quiet but powerful transformation in the green stretch of Lofa and Nimba Counties.
What began as a local struggle to protect diminishing forest resources has blossomed into a model of community-led sustainability. Implemented by two Liberia civil society organizations, the Social Entrepreneurs for Sustainable Development (SESDev) andGreen Landscapes Initiatives (GLI), the initiative has become a beacon of hope for forest communities seeking a balance between livelihood and conservation.
For years, forest-dependent families in Salayea and Gba grappled with deforestation, weak governance, and limited livelihood options. Today, they are leading their own change story. Through the project, they have learned to reduce the threat to the forest by identifying other means of livelihood and by managing the forest resources.
Local forest governance, once weak, has grown stronger and more transparent with the adoption of community management plans, and technical and financial backing from the project. “We used to see the forest as something to take from; now we see it as something to grow with”, one community member joyfully remarked.
Community Forest Management Plans are a requirement for Authorized Forest Communities but are often developed by outsiders with hasty adaptation to local circumstances. Community members say when SESDev first engaged them, they had expired management plans. So, the first step was to help them review these plans, which are now in place and actively used.
Authorized Forest Communities are also required to have a two-tier management structure-Community Assembly, the highest decision-making body; its Executive Committee and the Community Forest Management Body (CFMB), running day-to-day operations–but these were dysfunctional. So first, “we supported leadership renewal through community elections to re-establish proper [forest] governance structures and they were trained on their roles and responsibilities. To improve mobility and field supervision, we provided motorbikes and fuel for forest monitoring and community engagement”, said SESDev’s Programs Director, Mina Beyan.
In Salayea, the project also “supported six women’s groups, each receiving US$1,000 in seed funding to expand their existing initiatives”, says Mina Beyan. Some used the funds to purchase a rice mill for processing and selling rice, while others invested in palm oil trading and small-scale agriculture.
The women are now using the rice mill machines to generate an income independently, to sustain themselves and their families. They are also acquiring suitable land to cultivate rice as a business.
One of the most inspiring practices from Salayea is their community self-financing model. Many of these women are engaged in village savings and loans associations. They realized that sustainable forest management requires financial resources, “so each women’s group agreed to contribute 30% of their annual profit to a social fund dedicated to supporting community forest management”, SESDev Programs Director asserts. Currently, they have been able to save over 100,000 Liberian Dollars (about US$550) in the social fund. Mina wants the gains replicated elsewhere, where communities can generate their own funds not only for livelihood sustainability but also to maintain their forests.
Samuel T. Supu chairs the Executive Committee of the Salayea Community Forest. He explains that the project has been very significant to them, adding it has helped them organize their governance structure such as the Community Assembly and CFMB. He said “Before SESDev came in, we had no formal leadership. Our forest existed, but we had not yet been officially recognized by the Forestry Development Authority (FDA) as a community forest. Once we completed the nine steps [required to] gain that legal status [we] became an Authorized Community Forest, operating under the laws of Liberia”.
“Today, our forest leadership structure is strong and functional. We clearly understand our roles and responsibilities under the community forest law”, Samuel said. As a testament of the knowledge gained, the community filed a lawsuit to the court against some people accused of conducting mining and chainsaw operations in their community forest, and won the case.
“In fact, we recently won a legal case after someone tried to illegally exploit part of our forest. The court ruled in our favor. That experience strengthened our confidence and unity as a leadership team”, the EC Chair stated.
In previous times, the community had used direct confrontation to deal with threats and encroachments on their forest. But following the training, they now have idea on how to solicit external legal support. In the case they won, they collaborated with nationally-renowned legal firm Heritage Partners and Associates and the County Attorney
Gba Community Forest, in Nimba County, had an expired management plan, so the project, together with Gba Forest Guards and CFMB, conducted a rapid forest inventory in which they studied the forest structure, identifying areas of closed and open canopy, and documented the different resources found within it. They developed a Proposed Management Plan, which outlined how their forest looks, what resources exist, and provides comprehensive information on sustainable management.
“We were in need of support for our community people, especially in managing and protecting our forest. Thankfully, we were fortunate to have SESDev working with us, in collaboration with GLI and with support from Siemenpuu”, said Nyan T. Flomo, Executive Committee Chair, Gba Authorized Forest Community.
The community resource base assessment was aimed at understanding how the community use the forest, the benefits derived from it, and the challenges faced.
In addition to the survey, the project engaged several community groups about their livelihoods, including youth, women, elders, and persons with disabilities. The hands-on training also led to the production of a community forest guard patrol handbook.
Following this early assessment, the project then supported the development of a full Community Forest Management Plan, which received FDA approval.
A team of vigilant men and women under the umbrella of “Forest Guard” are now monitoring their forest due to the training they received in GPS navigation. “Through that training, I learned how to navigate safely in the forest and avoid getting lost. The GPS helps us find our way and locate the specific areas or activities we are assigned to monitor”, one of the females Forest Guard Anita Korto said.
Another female forest guard, Linda Gondo detailed the nature of their work, “My main role as a Forest Guard is to protect the forest by educating people about its importance. I talk to community members about why they should not destroy the forest through farming, deforestation, or hunting animals. I explain that there are many ways to benefit from the forest without harming it”, said Linda.
Wesseh Fullah, Acting Executive Director of the GLI said the management plan outlined how the community forest leadership would operate over a five-year period, detailing activities for each year. He said, “some management plans cover up to 15 years, but ours focused on five. We ensured the plan included community input, reflecting their needs and aspirations”.
The plan also established five key committees: Awareness Committee, Membership and Rules Committee, Law Enforcement Committee, Resource Management Committee and Benefit-Sharing Committee. These committees are there to support the CFMB in overseeing various aspects of the forest’s operations since the leadership cannot handle everything alone. For instance, the Awareness Committee is responsible for sensitization, and the Benefit-Sharing Committee manages any benefits arising from forest use, according Wesseh.
Wesseh said the plan also included enrichment planting, which led to the planting of 5,500 indigenous tree species, mainly in degraded areas and along the forest boundaries, to restore the ecosystem and discourage further encroachment. Some of the tree species include Zylopia (used in food and medicine), Ekki (Lophira alata, or red ironwood, a valuable timber tree), and Nyangun with the scientific name: Heritiera utilis. One of the major achievements is that out of the 5,500 trees planted, 4,897 survived, according to a Forest Guard.
Wesseh of GLI says some community members initially viewed enrichment planting as an attempt to stop their farming activities. But after several discussions, they understood its benefits and started to replant trees, which according to the project, reduced encroachment as farmers no longer make new farms deep inside the forest.
Marian Gbartoe is a farmer from Makinto town in Gba. She benefittedfrom a formal training in agroforestry, which combines tree crops with agriculture. After the training, Marian said she and 132 farmers (60 females and 72 males) in Gba received a total of 52,367 cocoa, avocado and cashew seedings.
Before the training, Marrian said she was already a farmer, but the traditional methods she used required a lot more effort, time, and money. Now, she said with the agroforestry, she uses less effort, time and resources and her crops also grow healthier and stronger.
For Korto B. Flomo, Chairlady of Gorlu Town in Salayea Community Forest, she said prior to the project, she would go around looking for opportunities for her fellow women. But the project has strengthened their organizational and lobbying skills through guidance, adding, “we learned how to properly manage our finances, keep our homes organized, and work effectively as a team”.
Project beneficiaries reported that the program empowered them to manage households better. “I love leading this group because the women understand and listen, they cooperate, stay organized, and help prevent confusion or conflict, especially when we have contracts or joint projects to complete”, said Flomo.
FDA’s Technical Focal Person to the project, Weedor H. Gray said she was impressed when she visited Salayea and saw women using their own skills to transform their lives.
Weedor said she could see how the various training course had helped reduced internal conflicts and strengthen accountability, making communities to appreciate their roles and manage their forests more effectively.
Despite the many achievements, forest governance leaders did not hesitate to outline their challenges of insufficient mobility, lack of stationery, a hall for their regular meetings and more and advanced training in sustainable forest governance. Community forest officials also reported a notable lack of effective awareness for proper adherence to forest laws and preservation.
According to them, one of their biggest needs is to have an ideal meeting place to hold discussions. Another challenge is the lack of office to execute their daily administrative practices. “It’s unfortunate that we don’t even have a suitable location to host guests like you during interviews or meetings”, one beneficiary said.
Project officials said some farmers expected the project to handle everything for them, including planting of their crops. Managing the nurseries was another challenge. At one point, Wesseh said he has to personally help weed the grass from the nurseries and maintain them to ensure success. He said “In the future, we’d like a model where CFMBs take stronger leadership, and farmers approach them directly to request seedlings or support”.
The women said even though they already have a rice mill, they still need more financial support and rice processing contracts to sustain and expand their work.
Forest Guards said they sometimes encountered threats from individuals who are caught in illegal activities such as farming inside the forest, cutting down trees, or hunting wildlife.
“Some of them even try to harm us. To ensure our safety, we always work in teams, usually in groups of two, three, or four. This allows us to support each other as some team members handle communication, take photos and gather evidence, while others focus on calming tense situations”, Linda Gondo explains the challenges Forest Guards face.
As the project phases out, the FDA’s Technical Focal Person expressed optimism for a new project: “there’s a bit of sadness. But we remain hopeful. Experience has shown that the end of one project often opens doors for new opportunities. With the strong performance and positive results from this initiative, we are confident that new partners will step in to continue supporting these communities”.
The project, “Strengthening Sustainability Practices in the Management of Community Forests in Liberia” was implemented by two Liberian civil society organizations, SESDev and GLI between 2020 and 2025 in support of the Gba and Salayea Authorized Community Forests with funding from Siemenpuu Foundation.
