MONROVIA — Liberia has joined a growing Pan-African movement to elevate Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs) in conservation with the launch of its national chapter of the Alliance for Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities for Conservation in Africa (AICA).
The launch, held Wednesday in Monrovia, brought together traditional leaders, civil society groups, government officials, and international partners. It was marked by cultural blessings, storytelling, and the signing of a communiqué outlining Liberia's conservation priorities under AICA.
Loretta Alethea Pope-Kai, chairperson of the National Civil Society Council of Liberia (NCSCL), who formally launched the chapter, described the event as "historic."
"This launch is not just the unveiling of a national network, but the beginning of a journey where Indigenous people and local communities in Liberia will stay at the center of conservation actions, decision-making, and leadership," she said.
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A Pan-African Framework
AICA was founded through dialogues in Kigali, Namibia, and Windhoek to ensure communities dependent on forests, rivers, and biodiversity are no longer excluded from shaping conservation policies.
The communiqué signed in Monrovia aligns Liberia with continental frameworks such as the Kigali Call to Action for People and Nature, the IUCN-APAC IPLC Declaration, the Windhoek Communiqué, and the AICA Strategy 2023-2027. It sets six strategic pillars: rights and tenure, knowledge and leadership, equity and inclusion, climate and biodiversity resilience, collaboration and solidarity, and monitoring and accountability.
Among the resolutions were the creation of an AICA Liberia Coordination Team, a roadmap for community land tenure recognition by 2026, quarterly stakeholder forums, and a grievance redress platform to resolve conservation-related conflicts.
Community Voices
Local leaders used the launch to highlight challenges faced when communities are excluded from conservation planning.
Savannah Jiffan of Toto, Sinoe County, recalled the fear that followed government's declaration of forest reserves without consultation. "When government said they were coming to stop people going in a forest, we had no voice. But this is the land our parents left us," she said, citing poverty, lack of schools, and unsafe drinking water as daily struggles.
In Nimba County, Saye Thompson, chair of the East Nimba Nature Reserve's co-management committee, said decades of conflict with the Forestry Development Authority (FDA) have bred mistrust. "Forest is life. Without conservation, this area will be gone. But conservation must involve us, the people who live in the forest and depend on it for food and medicine," he said.
At Bong County's Kpatawee Waterfalls, Marketing Manager Isaac Redd Jr. stressed that unresolved land rights fuel conflicts. "Most times the community asks why the forest is being protected from people who have lived there for decades. Without land use clarity, conservation becomes conflict," he noted.
Support from Government and Partners
Liberia's international partners and government pledged support for the new chapter.
Malidadi Langa, chair of the Community Leaders Network of Southern Africa, said the launch "strengthens solidarity across the continent," calling it not only Liberia's victory but "Africa's."
European Union attaché Maria Winnubst pledged EU backing for Liberia's indigenous and community-led conservation agenda. "The EU values community voices in conservation. What we see here today is a demonstration that conservation can be both people-centered and sustainable," she said.
From government, Gertrude Wilson, acting manager for Community Empowerment at the FDA, said the agency would work with AICA Liberia to ensure "conservation and community development go hand in hand." Deputy Internal Affairs Minister for Operations Selena Mappy added that communities must become decision-makers, not just beneficiaries, of conservation projects.
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Civil Society at the Helm
Pope-Kai credited civil society organizations -- including SESDev, the Foundation for Community Initiatives, Champions for Change, and the Society for the Conservation of Nature in Liberia -- for keeping communities central in conservation policy. She also underscored indigenous women's leadership, pointing to Arita, a founding member of the Organization for Indigenous People in Liberia, who has long advocated for women's inclusion in land and forest governance.
What's Next
With its launch complete, AICA Liberia will focus on mobilizing members, pushing for community land tenure recognition, and aligning conservation efforts with Liberia's National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP).
"This network belongs to you," Pope-Kai told the gathering. "It is your voices, your leadership, and your actions that will define its success. Let this day mark the start of a new chapter where indigenous people and local communities in Liberia not only protect nature, but also shape the future of conservation in Africa."
