Monrovia — A one day National Steering Committee (NSC) meeting which aimed to accelerate maximum protection and conservation of Liberia's Mangrove and wetlands has ended in Monrovia with stakeholders calling for government's political will in the process to ensure effective execution of the project.
Lake Piso Multiple Reserve located in Robertsport is being primarily concentrated as the start of the project named and styled, "Management of Mangrove Forests from Senegal to Benin". The project which is being implemented by Wetlands International with funding from the European Union (EU) promises to cover other parts of the country in the very near future where wetlands are located to include Marshall Wetlands.
During the meeting, stakeholders from Liberia, Sierra Leone and Senegal critically reviewed the Management Plan for both Lake Piso and Marshall Wetlands and reaffirmed their commitment to the protection and conservation of Mangrove Forests and wetlands across Liberia in the wake of increasing population.
The Project Manager for Sierra Leone and Liberia Alhaji Malikie Siaka lauded the Steering Committee members for their passion and ingenuity to ensure that the project sees its intended aims and objectives to benefit future generation. He expressed happiness for the level of demonstrated cooperation and urged the committee members to hold together even after the lifespan of the project shall have expired.
For his part, FDA Deputy Managing Director for Operations who presided over the meeting called for robust actions in the protection and conservation of Mangrove Forests which he dubbed as being environmentally cardinal as far as the newly carved definition of forest is concerned.
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Mr. Tally said the FDA and its partners including the EPA are prepared to identify and protect the Mangrove Forests along the coastal belt of Liberia and called increased collaborative efforts on the part of the partners.
Making a closing remark, Benjamin Karmo, the Chief Technical Advisor to EPA Executive Director Wilson Tarpeh said Wetlands are not waste lands but lands that play significant role in the ecosystem. He noted that Liberia, being part of the project means "we have a critical role in promoting the conservation of biodiversity. According to him, Liberia has the largest portion of the remaining upper Guinea forest.
He added that Liberia is an internationally recognized home of biodiversity. He said since we are about to implement the Paris Agreement, including keeping the Mangrove Forests, points to the fact that our people must benefit saying, "We cannot use our lung to clean the global air while our people keep going through difficult time." He continued," It's important that those who provide leadership to promote economic development."
