The Forestry Development Authority has rejected media reports alleging that its Managing Director, Rudolph Merab, is resisting the proposed gazetting of the Foya landscape as a national park, calling the claims inaccurate and misleading.
In a statement issued over the weekend, the FDA said reports suggesting that Merab is steering the institution away from its long-standing "3Cs" forest management framework -- conservation, commercial forestry and community forestry -- misrepresent both government policy and current practice.
The Authority specifically denied claims that FDA leadership encouraged communities in the Foya area to abandon conservation efforts in favor of commercial logging as the primary means to finance road construction.
"At no time did Honorable Merab suggest to community dwellers that only logging revenues could be used to finance road construction," the statement said.
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The FDA said its management remains committed to balancing conservation goals with community livelihoods and responsible commercial forestry, and will not prioritize logging at the expense of protected areas.
According to the statement, the FDA on Jan. 31 held a day-long stakeholder consultation in Kumbor Town, Kongba District, Gbarpolu County, to gather public views on the government's proposal to designate the Foya landscape as a national park.
The Authority said the meeting revealed strong opposition from youth groups, along with concerns expressed by women, chiefs and elders over how the proposed protected status could affect livelihoods and access to land.
Gazettement would formally designate the Foya landscape as a protected area, placing restrictions on land use, settlement and resource extraction, a process that has often sparked debate in forest-dependent communities.
The FDA also dismissed reports claiming that Merab had unilaterally halted all projects in the Foya landscape following the consultation.
The Authority said that after community concerns were raised, Internal Affairs Minister Francis Sakila Nyumalin, the senior government official present, requested Merab to accompany him to brief President Joseph Nyuma Boakai on the views expressed by residents.
"Until the meeting with the President is held, it was agreed that any further action regarding the gazettement of the Foya landscape be placed on hold," the statement said, adding that the decision was not made solely by the FDA managing director.
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The FDA pointed to ongoing enforcement actions in Sapo National Park in Sinoe County, including the removal of illegal occupants, as evidence of the current management's commitment to conservation.
"Under the leadership of Honorable Merab, conservation remains a priority alongside improving the livelihoods of forest-dependent communities," the statement said.
The Authority concluded by reaffirming its mandate to balance conservation, community welfare and sustainable forest use in line with national development objectives and international conservation commitments.
