FDA Signs Forest Management Agreements with Six Communities
Author: Claudius T. Greene, Jr. 丨Source : Daily Observer Newspaper
The Forestry Development Authority (FDA) has signed Community Forest Management Agreements (CFMAs) with six forest communities, marking a significant step toward strengthening community participation in the management, protection and sustainable use of Liberia’s forest resources.
The agreements were signed Friday, August 21, 2026, at a ceremony attended by government officials, community leaders, traditional authorities, women and youth representatives, development partners and civil society organizations.
The signing places the beneficiary communities in a more direct role in managing their forest resources while requiring them to protect biodiversity, prevent forest degradation and ensure that forest resources are used sustainably.
The FDA has previously used CFMAs as a mechanism for transferring forest management and ownership rights to forest-dependent communities. The agreements are part of Liberia’s broader community-based forestry framework.
FDA Warns Communities
Speaking at the ceremony, FDA Managing Director Hon. Rudolph J. Merab, Sr. cautioned the communities that receiving a CFMA comes with serious obligations.
Merab said the government was entrusting the communities with forest resources with the expectation that they would manage them in ways that benefit both the communities and Liberia.
He warned against activities that could destroy the forests, including uncontrolled farming, excessive tree cutting and the destruction of biodiversity.
“The forest is for you to manage as a forest, not to destroy it,” Merab told the beneficiaries.
The FDA Managing Director said Liberia has one of the largest forest resources in West Africa and warned that poor management could result in the loss and degradation of the country’s forests.
“If we manage it properly, we'll always have it. If we do not manage it properly, we will lose it,” he said.
Merab also urged the communities to strictly honor the agreements they sign with partners, warning that beneficiaries should not enter into arrangements or undertake activities outside the terms of their agreements.
He said the FDA would continue monitoring community forest management to ensure that the resources entrusted to communities are protected.
FDA Opens Door for More Communities
Merab disclosed that the FDA Board of Directors had lifted a moratorium on community forests, potentially allowing additional communities to participate in the program.
He, however, stressed that expanding community forestry would require financial resources.
According to him, the FDA would need continued support from development partners, including FAO and UNDP, to extend assistance to other communities.
He said the government and its partners were committed to ensuring that communities benefit from their forest resources while maintaining the forests for future generations.
FAO Hails Milestone
Godwin Phylix Cudjoe, Officer-in-Charge of the FAO Representation in Liberia, described the signing as an important milestone in strengthening community participation in forest governance.
Cudjoe said the agreements represent more than a legal arrangement, describing them as a demonstration of Liberia’s commitment to biodiversity conservation, climate resilience, sustainable livelihoods and inclusive natural-resource governance.
He said the Community-Based Forestry and Protected Area Management Project, jointly implemented by FAO and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in partnership with the FDA and funded by the Embassy of Sweden, is supporting forest-dependent communities to become active stewards of their forests while improving their socioeconomic well-being.
Cudjoe praised Sweden for its financial support and commended UNDP, the FDA and civil society organizations involved in the process.
He specifically recognized The Nature Compact, the Sustainable Development Institute (SDI) and the Foundation for Community Initiatives (FCI), which worked with the communities through a nine-step process leading to the signing of the agreements.
Focus on Livelihoods
According to Cudjoe, community forests can play an important role in biodiversity conservation, climate change mitigation, food security and rural development.
He said the initiative also promotes the participation of women, youth, persons with disabilities and other marginalized groups in decisions concerning forest resources and community development.
The FAO official said the long-term success of the agreements would depend on transparency, accountability, continued collaboration and strong leadership within the beneficiary communities.
He said FAO and UNDP would remain committed to working with the government, FDA, communities and other partners to ensure that the forests generate environmental, social and economic benefits for future generations.
FDA: A Historic Milestone
FDA Deputy Managing Director Hon. Nora G. Bowier described the signing as a historic milestone for Liberia’s forestry sector.
Bowier said that under Liberia’s Community Rights Law, the agreements formally entrust communities with the management, protection and sustainable use of their forest lands.
She said the framework gives communities an opportunity to lead conservation efforts while promoting economic development, improving livelihoods and strengthening climate resilience.
Bowier said the process leading to the signing involved extensive consultations, boundary clarification and planning.
“Today we have successfully crossed this finish line,” she said, while thanking the communities for their patience and continued support.
Communities Celebrate
A representative of the beneficiary communities expressed appreciation to the government and development partners for supporting the process.
He said some of the communities had been waiting since 2015 to receive their formal forest management documents.
He described the signing as a source of excitement among the beneficiaries and pledged that the communities would apply the lessons received during the process to protect their forests.
Nature Compact Issues Warning
The Nature Compact also used the ceremony to warn communities against hastily entering into third-party agreements involving their forests.
The organization's Chief Executive Officer urged communities to first understand the resources contained in their forests before allowing outside companies or other parties to enter into commercial arrangements.
He warned that communities must understand how financial benefits, employment opportunities and development projects would be distributed before signing third-party agreements.
“Do not sign a third-party agreement if you do not know what is in your forest,” he cautioned.
He said The Nature Compact would continue providing technical support to the communities in collaboration with the FDA.
The warning is significant because CFMAs can provide communities with the legal basis to enter into certain commercial arrangements involving forest resources, subject to applicable legal and technical requirements.
Project Faces Challenges
Meanwhile, a representative of the Sustainable Development Institute disclosed that the community forestry initiative faced several challenges during implementation.
He said the project was initially designed to last 10 months but eventually extended beyond three years.
Among the challenges, he cited misinformation in one of the communities and other difficulties that delayed the process.
Despite the setbacks, he highlighted successes in communities in River Gee and Sinoe, particularly livelihood activities intended to strengthen cooperation and collective action.
He said the communities had collectively saved or mobilized more than L$2 million even before additional project funding was provided.
He added that community forest management plans had been developed and were awaiting review and possible approval by the FDA.
Responsibility Now Rests with Communities
The signing of the six CFMAs marks a new stage in Liberia’s community forestry program.
For the beneficiary communities, the agreements provide an opportunity to participate directly in decisions concerning their forests and to pursue sustainable livelihood opportunities.
But the agreements also impose responsibilities: protecting forests, conserving biodiversity, following approved management plans, maintaining accountability and ensuring that any future commercial arrangements are understood and beneficial to the communities.
The FDA and its partners now face the task of ensuring that the signing translates into effective forest management on the ground.
For the six communities, Friday’s ceremony was the culmination of a lengthy process. More importantly, it marked the beginning of their formal responsibility to prove that community management can protect Liberia’s forests while delivering tangible benefits to the people who depend on them.