31-year-old Grace Zansi was obsessed with the rampant butchering of wildlife in her hometown, Beo Bongarplay, Nimba County.
"I felt bad when I saw people killing and eating wildlife," she recalled.
Zansi became a ranger as a result of this uncontrolled act, which inspired her to seek a degree in General Forestry from Nimba University to learn more about wildlife protection, biodiversity, and people.
"Besides theoretical knowledge, I have also been opportune to benefit from a lot of training; theoretical, practical, and physical, which has also sharpened my skill as a ranger. Presently, I am pursuing a BSC degree in Nature Resources Management at Cuttington University, in Suakoko Bong County."
"The understanding I got from school gave me an added love for nature. All the above increased my desire to become a ranger."
Liberia hosts half of the remaining rainforest in West Africa. Rare species such as Pygmy Hippos, Western Chimpanzees, monkeys, and forest elephants live in the forest.
In 2010, Liberia had 9.16 million hectares of natural forest, extending over 97 percent of its land area. In 2022 alone, Liberia lost 150,000 hectares of natural forest, according to Global Forest Watch. This is equivalent to more than five times the size of Monrovia.
Poor regulations and lack of enforcement from the Forestry Development Authority (FDA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are posing serious threats to these species.
Experts warned that if nothing is done to enforce regulation and compliance, these species might disappear.
Zansi, who has spent 11 years protecting wildlife in Liberia, said the threat of converting these forests to agriculture and hunting of wildlife for bushmeat and the weak enforcement of laws is at the speed of endangering these animals.
"If we do not work together as a people to save Liberia's remaining forest and wildlife," she warned. "We still lead the Upper Guinea Forest in terms of forest size and intactness."
Air, water, soil, minerals, energy, plants, and animals are examples of natural resources. The act of protecting these resources for the present and future use of all living beings is known as conservation. However, these natural resources will deteriorate if state security regulations are not followed.
For Liberia, the risk is unmeasurable, and these natural resources can be protected through a collective effort from the FDA, the EPA, the Liberia Fishery Authority, the Mine and Energy, the Ministry of Agriculture, and Civil Society Organizations.
"It involves strong collaboration from all of these actors and the willingness of the Government to support these actors. It is not a one-man business."
Last year Zansi was awarded the Environmentalist of the Year 2023 and the overall Developmental Hero of the Year 2023 by USAID and its partners.
"To be recognized and chosen among colleagues of equal integrity is a great privilege and I am grateful to USAID and her partners for this opportunity. This award has increased my passion more because this shows that what we do in our little corner is being seen by many people in the larger society."
Zansi sees her work as challenging leaving her home and family to camp in the forest for days. During these days, she climbed mountains of 1500ft and came down deep valleys as well as crossed rivers with the mandate of apprehending poachers who were well-armed Armed was a tough experience for her.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
"Always running behind people who are armed and you are not, it makes the job dangerous but that's what we are going through. We hope that the government will one day decide to arm Liberia forest rangers."
Zansi has been pleased with her impact despite the danger she faced daily but called for more funding from the government and partners to support conservation in Liberia.
"I am sure many will see this as an encouragement to join us and conserve what we have as our own. Winning an award among thousands is not an event but a long journey and very dedicated hard work. I am sure these have inspired a lot of Liberians in conservation."
"If Liberia wants to move forward and make conservation more sustainable, the government needs to invest more funding and take ownership of conservation programs in Liberia. There should be adequate budgetary allotment to sufficiently manage and protect Protected Areas which will include support to community livelihood."
