The former Managing Director of the Forestry Development Authority (FDA), Harrison Kanwea, has called on the Government of Liberia to equip park rangers with firearms and other necessary logistics in order to enhance the effectiveness of safeguarding protected areas and national parks across the country. The former FDA MD made the call on Monday, July 29, 2024, in Nimba County when he served as the keynote speaker during the program marking the observance and celebration of National Wildlife Day in Liberia. Mr. Kanwea harbored the belief that by equipping park rangers with firearms, it will help reduce illegalities, adding that because of the lack of protection and logistics, rangers are not enforcing monitoring through regular patrols, thereby posing threats to the wellbeing of endangered species within biodiversity hotspots and zones. “When I was at the FDA, we made these recommendations but didn’t materialize. I think if the government can provide logistics and training for the use of firearms to rangers, it will help to enforce their regular patrols and monitoring,” he said. The former FDA MD stressed the need for the overall protection of the protected areas in Liberia, adding that the protection of conservation areas and wildlife is key in booming revenue for the country. The Act Adopting the National Wildlife Conservation and Protected Area Management Law of Liberia aims to maintain, protect and preserve Liberia’s unique biodiversity in a manner that supports both the recovery of wildlife and the sustainable use of wildlife products by forest-dependent communities. Source: 𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐀