Mission to the Gola Forest National Park landscape, Liberia

From 2 to 6 March 2025, the Technical Assistant in charge of forest ecosystems, Renaud Bailleux, led a mission in the Liberian part of the Gola-Foya landscape, accompanied by partners from the Society for the Conservation of Nature in Liberia (SCNL) and Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), the lead operator of this NaturAfrica landscape project. 

The mission was very well prepared by SCNL and the welcome was warm. Meetings were organised with communities, Gola rangers and implementing partners, and site visits were carried out. 

Community forests are being established by implementing partners and offer a unique opportunity to create continuity between the Gola National Park and the proposed Foya National Park. 

However, it should be noted that the process of establishing community forests is slow and costly in Liberia. Furthermore, in establishing these forests, no guarantees of sustainable management or conservation of the area are required from the communities. This must be changed in the short term, otherwise community forests will be created that do not fulfil their role of conserving natural resources.

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Image: snares and shot cartridges collected by rangers in the landscape's protected areas. Hunting and poaching are illegal but remain a significant threat.