The International Programs Office of the U.S. Forest Service has completed three of ten identified hiking trail circuits in Liberia and has trained 55 Liberians and Guineans in trail building. The trail building and training activities are part of the Forest Service’s broader efforts to support ecotourism development and promote nature-based tourism in Liberia’s protected areas, including Lake Piso Multiple-Use Reserve (LPMUR) and the East Nimba Nature Reserve (ENNR). The conservation of Liberia’s vital forests and biodiversity relies on ensuring these resources are valued by forest-dependent communities and government decision-makers. Nature-based tourism, or ecotourism, links conservation with revenue generation for local communities, fostering cultural and biological stewardship. Despite being in its infancy, Liberia’s tourism sector holds great potential due to its unique biodiversity, intact forests, undeveloped coastline, and local culture, and high-value ecotourism experiences will benefit rural areas. Since 2019, with funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and in close collaboration with the Liberian Forestry Development Authority (FDA) and the Environmental Protection Agency, the Forest Service has supported initiatives to assess ecotourism potential, identify needed investments, and propose actions to advance nature-based tourism in Liberia. In 2020, the Forest Service and USAID published the “Ecotourism Opportunities in the Mount Nimba Landscape of Liberia” report, identifying key tourism assets and recommending investments in circuits, lodging, capacity building, and policy enhancements. Building on these initial assessments, several ecotourism investments are moving from planning to development, including the USAID-funded West Africa Trade and Investment Hub (Trade Hub) projects such as the Warkolor Jungle Lodge and Reserve and the NimbaEcoLodge and Reserve. These projects, managed by two Liberian businesses—Libassa and Jos Travel & Tours—are demonstrating the feasibility of ecotourism in Liberia by providing proof-of-concept for investors and communities. In support of these newly launched ecolodges, a five-member Forest Service technical mission, including two trail experts, visited the Warkolor Forest in the LPMUR, Robertsport, Grand Cape Mount County, a coastal town recognized for its beautiful beaches and surfing potential in western Liberia and in ENNR, Nimba County, a cradle of biological diversity in northern Liberia. Over the last five years, Forest Service-led technical support has focused on developing trail-based circuits, identifying interpretation opportunities, and addressing capacity building needs tailored to each site. From May 14-17 and June 17-24, a trail crew of 16 individuals comprising eight community forest guards, two interns from the Forestry Training Institute (FTI), and one supervisor with background in civil engineering received training in trail design, route selection, and construction. During this period, they built two trail circuits covering about 2 miles in Warkolor Forest to enhance the experiences of visitors at the ecolodge. From May 18-24, the Forest Service technical team moved to ENNR to continue trail-building training with the FDA and local communities. This session included 17 participants: 13 community forest guards, two FTI interns, two FDA staff and one trail crew supervisor. The ENNR trail crew built a trail circuit about a mile long near the NimbaEcolodge to enhance visitors’ experiences. In addition, 23 Guineans from a Forest Service-supported Youth Conservation Corps benefited from the training in Nimba. The trained Liberian trail crews will play a significant role in ongoing trail-building efforts in Liberia as the Forest Service anticipates extending its support to the iterative design and implementation of trail circuits, interpretative materials (e.g., brochures, guides, signage, maps), and tour guide training to complement planned ecotourism infrastructure to other landscapes like the Marshall Wetlands and Sapo National Park. Meanwhile the Forestry Development Authority ( FDA) has lauded the inniative of the US Forest Service describing it very significant far as as boosting Ecotourism is concerned. Meanwhile, a team from UNDP and FDA has conducted a Joint monitoring mission to 3 (three) project communities in Gbarpolu, Lofa, and Grand Cape Mount Counties in the Northwest Landscape under the Community-Based Forestry and Protected Area Management (CBFM) project funded by the government of Sweden. The team led by Dorsla Farcarthy, Pillar Head of UNDP’s Inclusive Green Growth Portfolio included Joseph Duolupeh from the FDA and the CBFM Project Manager Robert Sekungu. The team toured project sites and interacted with project beneficiaries, forest governance structures, and the local leadership of forest-fringe communities in protected areas in Benduma and Varguaye in Grand Cape Mount County, Takpoima in Gbarpolu County, and Salayea in Lofa County. The mission provided an opportunity for partners, beneficiaries, and service providers to better understand the project implementation status and challenges in the landscape and discuss issues while on the ground. The CBFM project supports the governance structures of targeted communities to obtain authorized community forest status using the FDA’s nine-step criteria, supports alternative livelihoods identified by communities, and enables policy, governance framework, and institutional capacity. Benduma and Varquaye communities have begun the cultivation of over 60 plots of swamp rice as part of one of their alternative projects. In Takpoima, the community has completed a preliminary survey of border points and demarcation which is part of step five out of the nine steps criteria of the FDA to reach community forest status. “We are appealing to the FDA to fast-track the posting of demarcation/survey notices and results to allow us to move to the next steps,” said Commissioner Alfred Bah, anchored by citizens of Takpoima. The Takpoima Community leadership is comprised of Mohammed Brown Forestry Officer, Commissioner Alfred Bah, Women Spokesperson Hawa Patrick, District Youth Representative Secretary MartuGonda, and Youth Chair Augustine Twagbah. The leadership told the monitoring team that they are still awaiting the FDA to post notices on the demarcation results but while they await the next steps, the women farmer cooperative has begun the production of cashews as an alternative source of income to reduce pressure on the forests. The local leadership also mentioned that sensitization on the need to avoid protected areas is ongoing calling for increased logistical support to enhance sensitization. In Salayea which has completed the nine-step criteria and has been granted community forest status, the local leadership reported that they have reviewed and approved its draft management plan and forwarded it to the FDA. It followed the elections of its leadership structure comprised of 23 members nine of whom are women. The Chief Officer of the Salayea Community Forest Management Body YassahMulbah said 4 out of 6 communities were identified to engage in vegetable and cocoa production, animal husbandry, poultry, beekeeping, etc. as part of their alternative livelihood projects. Ms. Mulbah however complained of illegal mining still ongoing in protected areas and called for more support for Eco guards patrolling some of the forest communities. “We need the intervention of the Ministry of Mines and Energy to stop illegal mining activities by unauthorized groups taking place in parts of our forest,” she emphasized. The CBFM project provides support to promoting effective community-based management of Protected Areas (PAs) and Integrated Natural Resource Management (INRM) in the targeted landscapes; creates and strengthens resilient, low-emission land management, and equitable, non-timber forest product smallholder value chains through sustainable business development of forest and farm producers, their organizations, or cooperatives. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in partnership with the Forestry Development Authority (FDA) Liberia are implementing the four-year project with funding from the government of Sweden.