Liberia: Loggers Harvest Trees Outside Authorized Area

SEHYI-GEH – Earlier this yr, Westwood Company, a agency with no recognized logging expertise, harvested timber exterior its approved space within the Gba Group Forest in Nimba’s Yarmein and Sanniquillie-Mahn Districts, a DayLight investigation has discovered.

By Esau Farr and James Flomo, with The DayLight 

In 2016, ArcelorMittal Liberia signed an MoU with Gba, giving the neighborhood US$150,000 to clear 450 acres of rocky forestland to assemble a mine waste plant.  Nevertheless, Gba misapplied the cash and turned to loggers to do the job a number of instances in eight years. 

These efforts failed till this January this yr, when Gba signed the settlement with West Wooden, recognized for roadworks. The settlement included logs that earlier corporations had deserted within the 11,538-hectare forest.

Westwood quickly started the felling, and exported 216 logs (921.124 cubic meters) in two March shipments, in accordance with the FDA’s information. An preliminary DayLight investigation found that the exports had been unlawful in a number of methods. The logs had been harvested below an settlement that didn’t match a authorized forestry contract. The logs had been exported to Europe regardless of not being from a authorized supply, violating Liberia’s timber commerce settlement with the European Union.

However this investigation established that issues had been lots worse. Geolocations of tree stumps with Westwood tags present the corporate harvested exterior the designated space, apparently concentrating on costly, first-class timber. Reporters photographed a dust highway that the corporate paved contained in the forest to entry the logs.

Utilizing official dataset and geolocation expertise, The DayLight used coordinates fitted into footage taken of stumps of bushes Westwood harvested to attract a map, exposing the unlawful harvest.

It was unclear what number of logs had been illegally harvested. Nevertheless, DayLight estimated 250 first-class logs within the Makingo City. Their species—ekki and niangon—matched these Westwood exported in March.

Westwood’s actions had been an open secret. Three DayLight visits discovered that individuals and the Gba management had been conscious of the unlawful harvest.

“They went to Gbarpa, the place they didn’t ship them, felled logs and carried them,” stated Paul Gahnto, Sehyi-Geh City’s assistant youth chairman.

The unlawful harvesting provides to Nimba’s deforestation. Between 2002 and 2024, Nimba recorded 393,000 hectares of tree cowl loss, second solely to Bong (434,000 hectares), in accordance with International Forest Watch, which tracks international locations’ deforestation. A tree cowl is any vegetation that’s a minimum of three meters excessive.

World Heritage Website

The unlawful harvest is counterproductive to a area recognized internationally for conservation.

Gba and its neighbors—Blei, Sehyi Ko-doo and Zor—function a buffer with East Nimba Reserve, part of the Nimba Reserve, a UNESCO World Heritage Website, working via Guinea and the Ivory Coast. The area is dwelling to the Nimba flycatcher, the Nimba toad and different endangered and customary species.

Based mostly on the area’s significance, Gba and the opposite communities have an settlement with the Liberian authorities and ArcelorMittal to guard the forest there. As a part of the settlement, the metal large helps the communities’ conservation packages, together with a month-to-month stipend for forest guards and tree planting.

Gba, specifically, has additionally acquired help for its conservation from different establishments. It had been established by a USAID venture and continued to obtain help from the USA Forest Service. Since 2023, Social Entrepreneurs for Growth (SESDev) has labored with Gba’s management to strengthen its governance mechanism.  

Westwood provides to the record of corporations Gba has contracted to clear the controversial 450 acres. In 2016, LTTC Thanry signed a contract with Gba however didn’t ship. Later in 2021, Six S Worldwide entered the image, however, like LTTC Thanry, it failed.

Earlier than these offers, Gba was amongst a number of neighborhood forests whose standing the FDA’s board canceled in 2014 for errors. The company had mistakenly mixed Gba with Zor and needed to be break up into two neighborhood forests.

‘Hereby granted’

The Forestry Growth Authority performed a component within the unlawful harvest. Managing Director Rudolph Merab ignored authorized necessities and approved West Wooden.

In regular logging practices, the FDA counts and marks bushes in a mapped space earlier than harvest. Then, there are FDA fieldworkers who monitor the method and confirm the legality of the log earlier than export.

In Gba’s case, a warning letter changed that rule, although extra essential, given the character of the harvest.

“You’re obligated to make sure your operations adjust to the authorized framework,” wrote Merab. “You’re required to tag all standing bushes.

“You’re hereby granted approval to start operation within the Gba Group Forest.”   

Apparently, Merab lowered the bar Mike Doryen, his rapid predecessor, had set for Gba. Doryen, whose administration was characterised by forestry offenses, ensured that earlier corporations obeyed the foundations.

Guidelines apart, the FDA didn’t confirm West Wooden’s authorized paperwork earlier than approving its operations in Gba. The corporate’s article of incorporation doesn’t record its shareholders. The doc has solely two articles within the authorized paperwork: I and III. This violates the Helpful Possession Regulation, which mandates companies to call the individuals who personal.

That rule doesn’t solely apply when registering a enterprise. Additionally it is a forestry requirement. The Regulation on Bidder {Qualifications} requires an organization’s house owners or “vital people” to be scrutinized. It curtails conflicts of curiosity involving public officers and prevents forest assets from being positioned into the fingers of broke or dishonest people.

The FDA and Samuel Cooper, proprietor of Westwood, didn’t reply to requests for feedback.  

The Forestry Growth Authority investigated the harvest following the preliminary DayLight publication, however has not launched any report months on.  Logging exterior a licensed space is a criminal offense, punishable by a tremendous, imprisonment and penalties.

Nyan Flomo, a Gba chief, fears locals will bear the brunt of West Wooden’s actions. Flomo now runs Gba’s affairs because of the demise of Samuel Johnson, Gba’s management head, in March.  

“What we heard is that the FDA will examine, declare the logs deserted, public sale [them] and provides the neighborhood its advantages,” stated Flomo, who initially supported Westwood and was crucial of The DayLight investigation. “We’re nonetheless wanting as much as the FDA to present us the [official] outcomes of the investigation they carried out.”

The story was produced by the Group of Forest and Environmental Journalists (CoFEJ). It first appeared in The DayLight and has been revealed right here as a part of an editorial collaboration.