Sustainable Forest Management, Forest Law Enforcement and Good Governance in Liberia

Accountability and transparency are the developments today that distinguish the management of the forest sector from what existed prior to the imposition of sanctions by the United Nations in 2003. In other words we need to know what has changed.
 Before 2003, the forest sector was second to rubber in the contribution to the gross domestic product, level of employment and export earnings. However, it became obvious that the sector experienced poor governance and disappointing benefit sharing. Above all, it fueled conflicts in Liberia and neighboring countries through the use revenues from the sector to purchase arms. The Accra Peace Conference mandated the Interim Government of National Unity (IGNU) to review the sector and formulate a road map for restoring good governance and enhancing sector performance. IGNU complied with the mandate of the Accra Peace Conference by commissioning a forest sector review and recommended changes that would reform the sector.
          Among the recommendations from the review was the cancellation of all concession agreements which were concluded by inappropriate allocation methods and were derelict in the payment of tax obligations amounting to about sixty million United States dollars. The review further recommended reformed law, measures and procedures that are applied today to ensure good governance in the forest sector.
 The series of articles that will follow are intended to inform the public about the reform process and how they have changed the rules of the game of sustainable forest management in Liberia.

PART ONE-The Legal Framework of Forestry Reform

 The context within which there is sustainable forest management reform in Liberia is found in the National Forest Policy. This policy establishes that the nation’s forest resources must be managed in a way that first convert part of the resources to saleable goods and services for profit-this is Commercial Forestry. Secondly, part of the nation’s forest resources must be conserved for preservation of the environment and for the use of future generations-this is Conservation Forestry.

The third objective is to ensure that communities engage in and derive from the forest direct benefits shared equitably-this is Community Forestry. The first, second and third objectives produce a combined integrated impact under the banner of the 3Cs, (Commercial, Conservation and Community). Thus the Liberian forest resources are managed under the 3Cs principle.
 Under the 3Cs principle, the four and half million hectares of forest within the borders of Liberian are managed. The approach to the sustainable management of the four and half million hectares of forest consists of two million hectares for commercial purposes, 1.5 Million hectares for conservation purposes and the remaining one million hectares as community forestry. To be continued.