PAYNESVILLE – The Forestry Growth Authority (FDA) has firmly rejected a latest proposal by Consultant Thomas Romeo Quioh of Sinoe County District #1 to de-gazette Sapo Nationwide Park (SNP), warning that such a transfer would pose a major menace to Liberia’s environmental integrity and international conservation fame.
In an official launch issued by the FDA Managing Director final week, the company acknowledged the socio-economic and enforcement challenges raised by Rep. Quioh however emphasised that the answer lies in constructive engagement, not dismantling Liberia’s largest and most iconic protected rainforest.
“Whereas the challenges within the forest sector are actual and require pressing options, the FDA firmly opposes any proposal for the partial or full de-gazettement of Sapo Nationwide Park,” the discharge acknowledged.
The company is asking on Rep. Quioh and all stakeholders to interact in constructive nationwide dialogue aimed toward enhancing park administration, strengthening neighborhood benefit-sharing, and making certain that Sapo Nationwide Park stays a beacon of sustainable improvement for “folks, planet, and revenue.”
This dialogue, the FDA says, will probably be elevated through the Nationwide Forest Discussion board scheduled for October 2025.
A Nationwide Treasure at Threat
Established in 1983, Sapo Nationwide Park spans roughly 180,363 hectares (445,677 acres) and stretches throughout Sinoe, Grand Gedeh, and River Gee counties. It’s dwelling to quite a few endemics and critically endangered species, a lot of that are discovered nowhere else on the planet.
“SNP isn’t just a nationwide treasure—it’s a globally acknowledged biodiversity hotspot, a significant carbon sink, and a logo of Liberia’s environmental management,” the FDA launch famous, referencing the nation’s commitments beneath the Nationwide Forestry Reform Legislation, the UN Conference on Organic Variety, and the Paris Settlement.
Degazettement Would Be Irreversible
The FDA warned that eradicating authorized safety from SNP wouldn’t solely fail to unravel points like poverty and unemployment, but in addition danger irreversible harm to ecosystems, speed up deforestation, and erode future financial alternatives linked to conservation, ecotourism, and carbon financing.
“Unlawful mining and poaching are enforcement points—not causes to dismantle conservation efforts,” the FDA mentioned. “Degazettement would reward criminality and set a harmful precedent.”
The FDA emphasised that short-term positive aspects from mining would result in long-term environmental losses, together with water contamination within the Sinoe River and Popo Creek, lack of biodiversity, and destruction of potential tourism belongings.
Ecotourism and Carbon Buying and selling: The Method Ahead
With the correct investments, the FDA argues that SNP holds untapped potential for ecotourism, which may create authorized employment whereas preserving the park’s ecological integrity.
Liberia can be within the technique of finalizing a Nationwide Carbon Buying and selling Coverage, with SNP poised to turn into a significant contributor. Nations like Guyana, Ghana, and Brazil have attracted a whole lot of thousands and thousands of {dollars} by means of carbon finance packages, and Liberia—with over 6.6 million hectares of rainforest—may comply with go well with.
“SNP shops thousands and thousands of tons of carbon and is vital to Liberia assembly its local weather objectives beneath the Paris Settlement,” the FDA added.
Challenges and the Want for Funding
The FDA acknowledged a number of boundaries, together with insufficient staffing, poor highway infrastructure, and restricted tourism entry, which proceed to hinder SNP’s full potential. Donor-funded tasks have offered essential assist, however many exclude long-term staffing and operational sustainability.
“We’re dedicated to scaling up staffing, implementing park boundaries, and implementing livelihood assist for surrounding communities,” the FDA mentioned. “Restoration tasks, ecotourism growth, and stronger neighborhood engagement are central to our plan.”
Name for Legislative Help and Nationwide Unity
The FDA is interesting to the Nationwide Legislature to allocate elevated funding to SNP’s safety, staffing, and improvement initiatives as Liberia prepares to faucet into international carbon markets.
“Sapo Nationwide Park is certainly one of Liberia’s biggest pure belongings. Relatively than de-gazetting it, we should unite to guard, handle, and profit from it for generations to come back,” the company concluded.
The FDA reaffirmed its imaginative and prescient of securing sustainable financing, increasing employment alternatives, and making certain equitable benefit-sharing with communities residing close to SNP—whereas preserving certainly one of West Africa’s final remaining tracts of intact rainforest.
