Shakespeare Z Zeanbo
Email Shakespeare.zeanbo17@gmail.com
Monrovia-Liberia: The Government of Liberia through the Forestry Development Authority and partners holds a two day Forest and Climate Resilience Forum on February 2-3 2023 at the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Ministerial Complex in congo town, under the theme, “Catalyze Renewed Commitments to Strengthen Partnerships in Sustainable Forest Management, A Key Strategy Supporting President Weah’s Pro Poor Agenda for Prosperity and Economic Development”.
The Liberia’s Forest and Climate Resilience Forum basically discussed the negative effects associated with Deforestation, Climate Change, Land Degradations and to basically Protect and Boost the nature of Conservation, as well as finding ways to mitigate the so many associated negative effects.
Meanwhile, The US Forest Service has emphatically asserted that it stands ready to foster a firm collaboration with the Forestry Development Authority (FDA) and the Forestry Training Institute (FTI) respectively to enhance their conservation dreams as well as other vital programs that tend to practically protect the forest and boost the conversation of nature. It also pledged to build the capacity of FTI’s teaching staff to improve the quality of education at the institution including bracing ecotourism programs in Liberia.
“My Team and I are overly excited that following the dark days of the COVID pandemic that ruined progress at all insitutions, the FTI and FDA are gradually being restored given the measurable light and progress. The team made these and other statements on Tuesday January 31, 2023 while meeting with the senior staff of the FDA.”Dr. Beneditus Freeman, asserted.
According to the US Forest Service Country Coordinator, they resolved in relation to investing in capacity building initiatives in communities, provides needed incentive packages for Communities amongst other things. It described the biodiversity level of Liberia as immense, something it said makes Liberia an internationally admirable conservation hotspot. It dubbed the FDA Managing Director, C. Mike Doryen and his team as being farsighted and encouraged them to continue the good work.
In remarks, FDA Managing Director, C. Mike Doryen recounted the numerous assistance from the US Forest team and gladly acknowledged its meaningful involvement in the protection and promotion of Liberia’s dreams to keep conservation initiatives booming.
Mr. Doryen used the occasion to unviel FDA’s strategic plan including the constitution of National Monitoring Task Force to include the representation of the media, civil society groups, security agencies to review the definition of what constitutes illegal logging in the wake of the new definition of the forest. Mr. Doryen however expressed regret that some media insitutions were bent on intentionally writing stories that have and continue to paint an ugly picture of the FDA simply because they don’t know the modus operandi of the FDA.
He said the formation of the task force will render transparency as it relates to the sustainable management of the forest. While thanking the US Forest Service for its enormous support, Mr. Doryen said no sector develops in the absence of capacity building, something he noted remains the goal of the FDA. He continued, “FDA’S presence at all checkpoints will from now be increased to ensure that there’s no free ride for those who believe in illegal activities.”He said FDA considers providing some incentives to authorized Community Forest to include the provision of scholarships to students of those areas as a means to desuade them from commercial logging.” Mr. Doryen concluded.
Mr Doreen further pleaded for a sustained collaboration with the all partners while underscoring the natural relavance of the forest.
