FDA launches 4th annual outreach tomorrow

The Forestry Development Authority (FDA) in collaboration with the Community Forestry Working Group (CFWG) with support from USAID Liberia will tomorrow, Wednesday,30 March 30 launch the 4th annual outreach campaign on Community Forestry at the Monrovia Christian Fellowship Hall, 9th Street and Warner Ave., Sinkor in Monrovia.

The campaign is the 4th in a series of outreach activities organized annually by the FDA and the CFWG with support from USAID-Liberia/PROSPER to raise awareness on Community Rights Law (CRL) and its Regulations; and to build the capacities of local and national institutions to design and conduct outreach intended to improve sustainable forest management as well as environmental awareness and compliance.
According to a release, this year’s launch will be held under the Theme: “Make Community Forestry Rights Real’’ and it seeks to reemphasize previous outreach efforts which aimed to make the CRL and its regulations accessible to forest dependent communities, while ensuring sustainable management practices.

The 4th annual outreach campaign targets over 200participants, including members of the Legislature, national and international partners, stakeholders in the forestry sector, representatives of civil society organizations(CSOs), community leaders, donor agencies and the Liberian media.

While the national level launch is being hosted in Monrovia, massive rollout activities of the outreach campaign will happen at county and community levels in eight (8) pilot zones in Nimba and Grand Bassa Counties, respectively where USAID-Liberia/PROSPER is supporting FDA to pilot community forestry.

USAID-Liberia/PROSPER will also support the FDA to organize and conduct outreach activities on the practice and policy of community forestry in designated communities seeking Authorized Forest Community Status (AFC) in Southeastern and Western Liberia.

The management of the FDA expresses hope that key policymakers and stakeholders in the forestry sector will support efforts to make sustainable forest management a reality in the face of emerging and competing interests over forest resources and the need for the establishment of Authorized Forest Communities (AFCs) across the country.Press Release