· Liberia's wetlands are rapidly disappearing due to illegal settlements, weak enforcement of environmental laws, and public neglect, with the Mesurado Wetlands in Greater Monrovia among the hardest hit, environmental authorities warned during World Wetlands Day.
· EPA officials revealed severe ecological damage, including the loss of 19 of 27 natural islands in the Mesurado River Basin and shrinking habitats for wildlife, while former and current EPA leaders blamed poor enforcement, illegal construction, mangrove cutting, waste dumping, and misguided land sales by local authorities.
· The EPA announced a US$3.2 million Wetland Protection Program targeting the Mesurado and Marshall wetlands, but stressed that protecting wetlands--key defenses against flooding and climate change--will require stronger law enforcement and collective national action.
Liberia's fragile wetlands are rapidly disappearing under pressure from illegal settlements, weak enforcement of environmental laws, and widespread public neglect, environmental authorities warned Monday as the country joined the rest of the world to observe World Wetlands Day.
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This year's observance is held under the theme "Wetlands and Traditional Knowledge: Celebrating Cultural Heritage." In a symbolic move, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) hosted the event inside the Mesurado Wetlands, aiming to spotlight the accelerating destruction of wetlands in the heart of Greater Monrovia.
EPA Assistant Manager, Geography Information System Unit, Berexford Jallah, disclosed that Liberia committed 6,770 hectares of wetlands to the international Ramsar Convention in 2006 but has failed to adequately protect many of those areas, particularly the Mesurado Wetlands, which sit within a densely populated urban zone.
Liberia became a signatory to the Convention on Wetlands, commonly known as the Ramsar Convention, in 2003, designating five Ramsar sites with a combined surface area of 95,879 hectares.
According to Jallah, scientific assessments show that the Mesurado River Basin once contained 27 natural islands, but 19 have already been overtaken by human settlement, forcing wildlife into shrinking and fragmented habitats.
"These islands were biodiversity hotspots," Jallah said. "Now animals like the Diana monkey and African civet are running out of places to go because of human settlement."
Former EPA Executive Director Dr. Nathaniel Blama, in an interview with this reporter, blamed the steady destruction of wetlands on poor law enforcement and public attitudes that wrongly regard wetlands as idle or useless land.
"Wetlands are not wastelands," Blama stressed. "They control flooding, support fishing, store carbon, and protect lives."
He noted that wetlands possess high carbon stocks, describing them as "one of the richest habitats for carbon sequestration."
Blama warned that illegal construction, mangrove cutting, waste dumping, and the sale of wetland land by local authorities are steadily degrading the Mesurado Wetlands. He called for stronger government action and a national dialogue to address encroachment.
"The EPA needs to be a little more robust," he said.
According to Blama, lack of public awareness remains a major challenge.
"People see wetlands as nobody's land, so they encroach on it and start building," he said, identifying encroachment, firewood harvesting, and dumping as the greatest threats facing wetlands in Liberia.
While Liberia is not short of wetland management policies, Blama said enforcement remains weak.
"Implementation and enforcement of those laws are still a challenge," he said, adding that the Ministry of Internal Affairs needs greater awareness since wetlands are often allocated through municipalities and local commissioners.
He called for a multi-stakeholder dialogue involving the EPA, Forestry Development Authority, Liberia Land Authority, municipalities, and local administrators to curb wetland abuse.
"When stakeholders understand the importance of wetlands, you don't need people policing them," Blama said. "They won't give them out."
Blama also urged strict enforcement of environmental laws, warning that loopholes are often exploited.
"Strong enforcement will serve as a deterrent to others," he said.
Delivering special remarks, EPA Executive Director Dr. Emmanuel K. Urey Yarkpawolo described wetlands as among Liberia's most critical natural defenses against climate change.
"Mangroves can store up to four times more carbon than tropical forests," Yarkpawolo said, warning that every mangrove cut worsens flooding, erosion, and climate impacts.
Yarkpawolo said Liberia's wetlands are under increasing pressure from sand mining, illegal land reclamation, mangrove cutting, waste dumping, and poorly planned urban expansion--activities he said are responsible for seasonal flooding, declining fish stocks, loss of livelihoods, and weakened climate resilience.
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Although the EPA has taken actions such as demolishing illegal structures and compelling violators to comply with environmental regulations, Yarkpawolo admitted the challenge remains overwhelming.
"There are too many interests and violators," he said.
He announced a US$3.2 million Wetland Protection Program targeting the Mesurado and Marshall wetlands. The initiative includes hiring youth as wetland security officers, restoring degraded areas, removing illegal structures, and promoting eco-tourism.
However, he emphasized that the EPA cannot tackle the problem alone.
Yarkpawolo also cautioned the public against purchasing wetlands, stressing that under Liberia's land laws, wetlands are public property and will be protected by law enforcement.
"The wetlands we protect today will protect Liberia tomorrow," he said, calling for collective responsibility to safeguard the country's natural heritage for future generations.
This story was a collaboration with New Narratives as part of the "Investigating Liberia" project. Funding was provided by American Jewish World Service and the Swedish Embassy in Monrovia. The donors had no say in the story's content.
