Forestry Development Authority, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and partners have dialogued with the citizens of Konobo District in Grand Gedeh County on the way forward concerning the government having access to the Protected Grebo-Krahn National Park in Southeast Liberia. Specifically, discussions were held with the residents of Bao’s Clan around the Protected Grebo- Krahn National Park on April 24, 2025, where the traditional people have been refusing FDA Rangers and NGOs to enter the protected area to patrol, have access and operate in the forest. The resistance of the locals prompted FDA to invite the Ministry of Internal Affairs for their intervention and bring the impasse to an end. During the dialogue, the people of Bao’s Clan said for many years, they have been out of road, claiming that the FDA promised them in 2017 to bring road but since then, they have not seen any impact from FDA and her project partners. The citizens also requested FDA to relinquish certain portion of the forest to them for their own use.
Through the intervention of two representatives of Internal Affairs Ministry- Assistant Minister for Culture, William Jallah, and Assistant Minister for Operations, James K. Yolei, the citizens were made to allow delegations of the FDA and partners to enter the community peacefully and have discussions with residents around the Bao’s Grebo- Krahn National Park. During discussions, Deputy Managing Director for Community, Conservation and Carbon, Nora G. Bowier, and Technical Manager for Conservation, Jerry Yonmah, told the citizens of Bao’s Clan and those residing around the Grebo- Krahn National Park, that the Government of Liberia passed a law during President William V.S. Tubman administration, that the government allocates portion of the forest one side for conservation. According to them, in 2006, the National Reform Law of Liberia passed a law for 30% of the land which is 1.5 million hectic to be put aside for the Protected Area for the present and future generations to come. In their deliberation, they said the process started and the GKNP was established in 2017. Mr. Yonmah also said the Protected Area was established to reserve animals and other species in the forest. He also said there was a consent paper signed in Fish Town, River Gee County in 2017, giving a huge project to the Government of Liberia by the German Government but later, the German Government halted the project, and now they are ready to resume the project.
This project will affect communities around the Protected Areas, the FDA Managers disclosed, stressing that there are things placed in the project to impact the surrounding communities positively. However, they said there is only one more signature remaining, which is the Ministry of Justice, to commence the project.
Deputy Managing Director Bowier said FDA has gone to the community because she gathered that the community is not happy with FDA, in that there are dissatisfactions to express to the FDA Team.
She said: “Our FDA boss, Mr. Rudolph J. Merab, SR. is seriously concerned about what is happening for which the community is taking such a decision for them to say FDA and partners must not enter the Protected Area Forest.”
During the meeting, the Wild Chimpanzee Foundation Country Director, Dr. Annika Hillers, told the gathering the reason of FDA and partners going to the community.
The EU has two big projects, one for boundary project, and another for Southeast Liberia, including the Grebo- Krahn Park.
In the project, many of the concerns raised will be addressed very soon, as FDA will restart the KFW Project, while partners will collaborate with FDA on the project.
Among the three projects for the next four years, the amount for implementation is said to be available for only Grebo- Krahn National Park for different activities.
Accordingly, 1.8M United States Dollars is available for roads, women empowerment, livelihood, community infrastructure, scholarship for citizens of the surrounding Park to be trained in FTI and others higher high learning institutions, as well as Conservation Enterprises and Eco-gard Program.
Dr. Hillers also disclosed that the money is available; adding ,”Starting from April 2025, and we are almost in May 2025, WCF needs to give her first report to the European Union and other places, like Sapo National Park contracted hand pump has already been given, training and other things have been done.”
The WCF Country Director said because training is already ongoing for Biomonitoring, the people wanted to go to the forest for patrol, but they were stopped and since then, no activity could happen. Dr. Hillers expressed frustration that the money is available and they want to help, but if the citizens continue to oppose the work, the European Union will slowly take the money back and send it to other needed projects or places; noting, “And WCF and FDA don’t want it this way. We want the Grebo- Krahn National Park residents to benefit from this opportunity.”
At present, the community has 32 Eco-gard, 40 Biomonitoring, and 12 Auxiliaries, but FDA and partners cannot work in the Konobo District premises now until the traditional people give the go ahead for them to enter the forest. Dr. Hillers then appealed to the community to kindly allow the people to work. She made the community to understand that they need to work as a team. “We will have a big problem without results. When we don’t work together, FDA and NGOs alone can’t solve the problems without the community participations,” Dr. Hillers said. She noted that the community and partners along with FDA can work together and help identify some of those mistakes, emphasizing that the community should work along with FDA and partners to move forward.
In response, the traditional authorities in the area through Senator Thomas Yaya Nimley of Grand Gedeh County, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs, accepted the request of the delegations of FDA and partners, to enter their forest.
However, they want FDA to do some adjustments to the park by permitting them to get some portion of the forest. Notwithstanding, the FDA Team told them the forest there was passed by law, so they will get back to meet their boss and will communicate with other relevant institutions or decision makers for redress.
The FDA Team comprised the Managing Deputy Managing Director for Community, Conservation, and Carbon, Nora G. Bowier, FDA Consultant on Governance, E. Ekema A. Witherspoon, Consultant on Forest Governance, Jerry Yonmah, Technical Manager for Conservation, Yarsa Varnie Okai, Administrative Assistant to the DMDCCC, Evangeline Swope, Manager for Protected Area, Comfort Saku, Manager for Awareness and Ecotourism, Gertrude B. Wilson, Community Department, Musa O. Lymas, Head of Public Affairs Division, Head of Region 4, Yei Neager and FDA drivers..
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