By Varney Sirleaf
Several communities in Grand Cape Mount and Gbarpolu Counties are about to benefit from the Society for the Conservation of Nature in Liberia (SCNL) and its partners for allowing their forest to be conserved.
According to the SCNL, they are partnering with the Forestry Development Authority (FDA) and RSPS to establish Framework Memorandum of Understanding (MOUs) with five clans in Grand Cape Mount and Gbarpolu Counties to promote forest conservation.
“The initiative which is refer to as ‘Community for Conservation Project’ is sponsor by the European Union (EU),” the Management explained.
They further explained that the targeted beneficiaries are about seventeen thousand, five hundred (17, 500) inhabitants across the five clans in the two counties.
“The benefits will include the following: financial conservation agreement (CCA), Vegetable Production, Cassava Production, Low Land Rice Production, Elephant Falls Renovation, bridges construction and others,” they narrated.
SCNL further stated that twenty (20) hectares of lowland rice will be cultivated in both Zuie and Mbama clans which will involve one hundred (100) household farmers, while fifty (50) hectares of land will also be cultivated for the production of value-added cassava in Fornor and Camp Israel, Grand Cape Mount County which will benefit fifty farmers.
Additionally, the organization said that they will work with the Toglay clan communities in Gbarpolu County to organize beekeepers into cooperative and link them to the market for business transaction which will help to empower them.
Furthermore, they stated that work is currently being done to sign a conservation agreement with the Normondatono Community Forest in Gbarpolu, while they are also working with the communities in Cape Mount County to develop the Elephant Falls ecotourism site.
In another development, SCNL is also working with Rain Forest Trust as a funding partner for the formalization of Customary Land in Zuie, Mbama and Normondatono Clans in Kongba District, Gbarpolu County.
In conclusion, SCNL said they are working with the FDA to resolve the following issues; hiring of a consultant to develop a co-management plan for Gola, secure funds to continue to support community Eco guards for regular patrols in the parks, helping both Normon and Tonglay to revise their communities forest management plans and Continue to support the communities on all fronts including Scholarship, employment, and payment of volunteer teachers.
