Congo Town — Liberia's Civil Society has joined a continent-wide movement aimed at placing indigenous peoples and local communities at the forefront of conservation and climate action with the launch of the Liberia Chapter of the Alliance for Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities for Conservation in Africa (AICA).
The event, attended by at least 50 stakeholders, including government agencies, conservation NGOs, grassroots organizations, community forest leaders and women groups, marks a milestone for Liberia's civil society.
The national network provides indigenous peoples and local communities (IPLCs) in Liberia with a structured voice within AICA's continental framework, shifting from mere participation to formal establishment and from inspiration to action.
Pope-Kai: 'Nature Is Us and We Are Nature'
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During the launch, Loretta Pope-Kai, Chairperson of the National Civil Society Council of Liberia (NCSCL), emphasized that the movement represents more than just a symbolic unveiling.
"This launch is the beginning of a journey where indigenous people and local communities like yours will stand at the center of conservation actions, decision-making, and leadership," Pope-Kai declared.
She pointed out that while Liberia's laws recognize three pillars--community, commercial, and conservation--the commercial forestry sector has failed to benefit local communities. She argued that a people-centered and rights-based approach to conservation offers a more sustainable path.
"No one can protect our forests and our land better than us--the people from the community who live in and work in the forest. Nature is us, and we are nature. We must ensure that we coexist with nature," she stated.
Pope-Kai highlighted that the Liberia AICA Network would ensure that women, youth, and communities are not only involved but are also positioned as decision-makers.
She recognized local civil society groups such as SESDev, the Foundation for Community Initiatives, Champions for Change, Green Landscape Initiative, the Society for Conservation of Nature of Liberia, and Liberia Forest Media Watch as evidence that Liberian civil society is ready to take ownership of the conservation agenda.
From Local to Continental Voice
Liberian CSOs, led by Social Entrepreneurs for Sustainable Development (SESDev), have been part of AICA's journey since its inception in Kigali. SESDev head Mina was nominated as a West African representative on AICA's Executive Committee after the 2022 governance review meeting in Maputo.
However, Wednesday's event marked the formal national establishment of Liberia's AICA network, aligning the country's conservation agenda with continental frameworks such as the Kigali Call to Action, the APAC Declaration, and the Namibia Communiqué.
With this launch, Liberia now has a stronger collective platform feeding into the West Africa regional AICA network, ensuring its forest communities play a decisive role in shaping the future of conservation across the continent.
Pope-Kai captured the essence of the launch with the slogan "A New Chapter for People and Nature," stating, "This network belongs to you. Your voices, your leadership, and your actions will define its success. Let today 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."
Langa: 'Why Protect Forests from People When We Are Part of the Forest?'
In the keynote address, Malidadi Langa, Chairman of AICA, commended Liberia for establishing one of Africa's most progressive land and forest legal frameworks, which allows indigenous and local communities to self-organize and influence conservation policy.
"As someone familiar with the conservation landscape across Africa, I can say this is not the case everywhere. My sincere congratulations to the Government of Liberia for providing the enabling framework that has allowed us to meet today and celebrate this launch," Langa said.
However, his remarks extended beyond mere praise. Langa challenged Africa to confront the painful history of conservation that has displaced people from their ancestral lands during both the colonial and post-independence eras.
"There has been militarization of conservation, access denied, and draconian laws that separate our people from their forests. These forests are not just resources; they are our pharmacy for medicine, our supermarket for food, and our very lives," he noted.
Calling conventional conservation an "Aryan concept" imposed from outside, he questioned why forests are often protected from local people instead of recognizing them as custodians.
"Why are we protecting forests from people when, in fact, we are part of the forest?" he asked.
Langa also cautioned against foreign-driven conservation models: "He who pays the piper calls the tune. If donor interests diverge from community needs, conservation outcomes risk becoming unsustainable."
At the core of his message was a call for securing land and natural resource rights for IPLCs. He urged the full implementation of Liberia's land laws, greater respect for the principle of Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC), and the formal recognition of community-conserved areas as integral to national and continental conservation frameworks.
The AICA Liberia Communiqué
Reading the Communiqué for adoption, Matthias Larbeindee, Forest Hour Coordinator of the Liberia Forest Media Watch (LFMW), emphasized the transformative potential of the initiative. The document outlines a comprehensive framework aimed at securing the rights, knowledge, and leadership of local communities across Liberia.
Central to this framework is the protection of collective land rights and the formal recognition of Community Conserved Areas (CCAs), underpinned by strict adherence to Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC). These measures ensure that communities retain agency over decisions that impact their lands and resources, a critical step in empowering local stewardship.
The communiqué emphasizes the importance of knowledge and leadership within indigenous communities. It outlines plans to document traditional ecological knowledge, provide mentoring opportunities for youth and women, and strengthen the authority of customary leaders, ensuring that local governance systems are empowered and respected.
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Equity and inclusion are also highlighted, with specific mechanisms proposed to address human-wildlife conflicts and to guarantee that benefit-sharing within communities is gender-responsive and fair.
Climate and biodiversity resilience are central to AICA Liberia's vision, linking community stewardship efforts directly to national biodiversity protection and climate adaptation strategies. Collaboration and solidarity are promoted through the creation of platforms for multi-stakeholder dialogue, opportunities for regional exchanges, and coordinated advocacy initiatives, fostering a spirit of unity and shared purpose among communities and partners.
The communiqué further commits to participatory monitoring and learning, with communities actively involved in tracking progress and the publication of annual reports to ensure transparency and accountability. In addition, it recognizes the power of narrative change, pledging to work with media partners to amplify community stories and celebrate cultural heritage as vital tools for conservation.
To operationalize these ambitions, the communiqué mandated the formation of an AICA Liberia Coordination Team and a Resource Mobilization Taskforce. It also called for the establishment of a Community Grievance Redress Platform, designed to address both historical and future rights concerns, ensuring that communities have a formal mechanism to resolve conflicts and assert their rights.
The communiqué also mandated the formation of an AICA Liberia Coordination Team, a Resource Mobilization Taskforce, and the creation of a Community Grievance Redress Platform to address both historical and future rights concerns.
