Monrovia, Liberia – March 27, 2025 – The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will validate a National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan. The initiative is supported by UNDP and FAO through the Community-Based Forest Management (CBFM) project funded by Sweden.
This event will take place on April 1-2, 2025, in Ganta City, Nimba County, bringing together key stakeholders from government, civil society, academia, and international organizations.
The workshop aims to review and validate the NBSAP, ensuring it aligns with Liberia’s commitment to conserving its rich biodiversity and promoting sustainable development.
Over 40 participants will engage in constructive and comprehensive discussions on the strategies and actions needed to protect Liberia’s unique ecosystems and biodiversity.
This event is a critical platform for reviewing, refining, and finalizing the draft NBSAP Communication Strategy, implementing, monitoring, and evaluation plans in consultation with key stakeholders. It will ensure the NBSAP is inclusive and aligns with Liberia’s biodiversity conservation needs and the Government of Liberia’s National Development Plan.
The three NBSAP documents will be presented to stakeholders for input, ensuring the content is relevant and aligns with national biodiversity priorities, including those related to sustainable development, climate change, poverty reduction, and natural resource management.
By the end of the workshop, stakeholders’ feedback will be incorporated to ensure relevance and adoption by strategic sectors and constituencies. After stakeholders agree on the next steps, the government will formally adopt and implement the NBSAP.
The Community-Based Forestry Management Project addresses biodiversity conservation and community resilience, paving the way for a sustainable future for Liberia’s biodiversity.
Broadly, it plays a key role in supporting the EPA and the government of Liberia in implementing its commitments for the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Global Biodiversity Framework.
By empowering forest-dependent communities and local NGOs, the CBFM project promotes sustainable forest management practices. This empowerment helps communities to protect biodiversity while also improving their livelihoods.
The CBFM project also encourages the sustainable use of forest resources, which aligns with the goals of the NBSAP to reduce biodiversity loss and promote sustainable development.
By focusing on the conservation of protected areas and community forests, the project directly contributes to the objectives of the NBSAP. This includes protecting endangered species and preserving critical habitats.
With an enormous biodiversity, Liberia has an estimated forest area of 6.6 million hectares. However, it faces several threats and challenges, including deforestation, where residents heavily rely on the forests for their livelihoods.