Liberia's long-standing struggle to protect its remaining primary forests received a major boost Thursday with the launch of the €9 million Wonegizi-Wologizi Initiative for Sustainable Ecosystems (WISE), a partnership between the Government of Liberia and the French Development Agency (AFD).
The five-year program -- one of the most comprehensive conservation investments in Liberia in nearly a decade -- aims to protect the vast Wologizi-Wonegizi forest corridor in Lofa County, strengthen land rights, improve community livelihoods, and establish a credible carbon finance system to support long-term forest protection.
The launch at the Forestry Development Authority (FDA) headquarters brought together government officials, the French ambassador, conservation experts, development partners, and community representatives. For the Boakai administration, the initiative represents a critical pillar of its broader environmental agenda and a strategic victory in rebuilding international confidence after years of stagnation in forest governance.
The Wonegizi-Wologizi region -- over 130,000 acres within the Upper Guinean Forest -- remains one of Liberia's last intact ecological strongholds. It is home to critically endangered species such as the western chimpanzee, the pygmy hippopotamus, and the forest elephant. It also sustains 42 communities and an estimated 34,000 residents who rely on the forest for farming, hunting, and forest products.
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Yet the area has been under increasing threat.
Project documents highlight "intensifying pressures from shifting agriculture, artisanal mining, hunting, and illegal logging," warning that forest degradation could accelerate without rapid intervention. The formal designation of Wologizi and Wonegizi as protected areas has been delayed for years, deepening concerns.
French Ambassador Jrabelle Le Guellec delivered a blunt assessment, "Liberia's primary forests are vital--globally vital--for biodiversity, climate regulation, and for the well-being of thousands of families. Protecting them is not optional; it is an urgent responsibility for the world."
She noted that France championed the global "30x30" biodiversity commitment and praised Liberia's leadership at COP30, emphasizing that the country holds 43% of the remaining Upper Guinean Forest, making it indispensable to global climate objectives.
France's Growing Role--and Liberia's Diplomacy
The WISE launch also underscores an important diplomatic turn for Liberia. After several years of waning donor confidence and reduced climate funding, the Boakai government has engaged in what officials describe as an "assertive environmental diplomacy strategy" to re-attract international investment to forest protection.
AFD Country Director Clémentine Dardy acknowledged Liberia's renewed leadership, stressing:
"This is a Liberian project. AFD is here to support -- not direct -- the national vision."
She emphasized that more than 1,500 farmers will benefit directly from improved agriculture and land governance, noting that the initiative helps Liberia develop its first "high-integrity, community-centered carbon credit system."
The government sees this as essential to positioning Liberia as a legitimate player in the global carbon market -- an area where previous administrations promised bold gains but delivered mixed results.
WISE is not starting from scratch. According to Fauna & Flora's Country Director, Mary Molokwu-Odozi, the initiative builds on years of groundwork funded by the EU, GEF, Rainforest Trust, and others.
Key achievements already in place include, construction of an FDA office in Wonegizi, securing eight land deeds for over 20 communities, community customary land documentation across 42 towns, progress toward formalizing the 28,000-hectare Wonegizi Proposed Protected Area, and a REDD+ pilot project that could eventually generate carbon revenue.
Molokwu-Odozi called WISE "a beacon of hope," adding, "These landscapes host some of the rarest species on Earth. But communities must thrive if forests are to stand. WISE creates that balance."
Conservation Requires Coordination, Not Fragmentation
FDA Deputy Managing Director Nora Garmai Bowier cautioned that multiple agencies working independently could undermine the initiative.
"Landscape management cannot be achieved by a single institution acting alone," she said.
"Today's signing is a statement of shared responsibility, shared standards, and shared accountability."
Bowier said WISE aligns with Liberia's commitment to reduce deforestation by 50% by 2030, expand protected areas to 1.5 million hectares, and strengthen land rights -- goals that remain ambitious given budgetary constraints and growing community needs.
Lofa County Superintendent Lavella Massaquoi praised the initiative but warned that communities face immediate challenges -- especially conflict with wildlife, including elephants destroying crops.
"We must protect our people as we protect the forest," he said."When crops are destroyed, livelihoods are destroyed. If nothing is done, communities may be forced to fight back -- something we do not want."
His appeal reflects one of Liberia's most persistent conservation dilemmas: how to protect wildlife without worsening rural poverty.
A Test of Liberia's Conservation Agenda
The Boakai administration has elevated environmental protection as a strategic pillar of its ARREST Agenda (Agriculture, Roads, Rule of Law, Education, Sanitation, and Tourism). The WISE initiative is among the first major conservation programs launched under the new government.
Yet the challenges are significant as Illegal timber operations remain active across northern Liberia. Small-scale mining continues to encroach on forest corridors. Expanding agriculture, driven by both necessity and population growth, remains the largest source of forest loss.
Communities expect immediate benefits--roads, farms, jobs -- but conservation projects often require long planning cycles and strict safeguards.
Liberia has attempted carbon trading frameworks before, with inconsistent results. The REDD+ pilot under WISE aims to correct past shortcomings--but success requires strong governance, transparency, and buyer confidence.
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Conservation funding in Liberia often relies on short project cycles. WISE's climate-finance model attempts to create durable funding, but its viability will be tested over time.
Representing the Ministry of Finance, Amadu V. S. Kpahn pledged oversight and emphasized that benefits would reach ordinary residents of Lofa County.
"We can assure you that the people of Lofa will share equally in the benefits," he said.
"We are here to work, and we will review every part of the project to ensure accountability."
Analysts say the WISE initiative represents a much-needed reset in Liberia's conservation strategy -- one that focuses on community rights, land tenure, and sustainable livelihoods alongside forest protection.
If successful, WISE could help Liberia reclaim its leadership role in tropical forest conservation and unlock long-term climate finance.
If not, it risks becoming another addition to the long list of well-intentioned projects slowed by weak institutional coordination, limited resources, and competing land pressures.
For now, the government and its partners are optimistic.
As Ambassador Le Guellec concluded, "Development and conservation are not opposing forces. They are mutually reinforcing. Together, we will ensure that Liberia's forests continue to stand, protect, and inspire for generations."
