Conservation often involves an important balance. To safeguard a global biodiversity hotspot, like the Gola Rainforest in West Africa, it is key to collaborate closely with local communities and develop sustainable livelihood opportunities that work alongside nature. Join Nick Williams, Flyway Conservation Outreach Officer at the RSPB, to uncover the surprising story of how a new project is combining loans, phones, chocolate, and bees to help protect an internationally important tropical forest.
Liberia is not famous for its smooth roads and, as we begin a bone-jangling 10-hour drive from the capital Monrovia, I can definitely see why. Bouncing along the track we listen to the music in the car come and go as the stereo system bravely fights against the unforgiving terrain.
We are on our way to Lofa County, tucked away in the north-west part of the country between the borders with Guinea and Sierra Leone, where exciting steps are being taken to protect this region’s forest, support its people and conserve its remarkable wildlife. I am here with my camera to document some of this work and hear directly from the people involved about just what it takes to make conservation possible here.
The roads of Lofa County make for an interesting ride. Credit: Nick Williams/RSPB (rspb-images.com).
Most of my travelling companions are from the Society for the Conservation of Nature of Liberia – or SCNL – the organisation that is leading this work, supported by the RSPB and other partners. As the hours on the road tick by, I gaze out of the window and am continually struck by one thing more than any other. Trees.
A land of forestsLiberia is the most forested country in West Africa with 68% of its land area being covered by trees. Together with neighbouring Sierra Leone, western Liberia’s forests form part of the Greater Gola Landscape – a vast 350,000 ha. expanse of lowland tropical forests where the RSPB has been working closely with partners for over 30 years.
Home to over 330 species of birds, as well as endangered mammals like Forest Elephants, Western Chimpanzees, Pangolins and the elusive Pygmy Hippo, Gola is of international importance, both for its incredible biodiversity and the millions of tonnes of carbon stored within its forests.
The Greater Gola Landscape supports a wealth of biodiversity including Western Red Colobus monkeys and the enigmatic White-necked Picathartes. Credits: Nick Williams/RSPB (rspb-images.com).
The rainforests of West Africa are also far more closely connected to the rest of the world, including the towns and cities of the UK, than you might expect. Every year, thousands of birds migrate over these forests, many of them exploiting the rich food source of tropical bugs buzzing above the canopy, before returning to breed in the UK and elsewhere in Europe. Here is just one example: a recent RSPB tracking study followed one Swift’s journey from the UK to Africa and back again. In the spring it flew over the very forests in Liberia’s Lofa County where this project is taking place, before returning to the UK once more to breed. You can follow this incredible journey by watching the video below.
Meeting the challengeHowever, protecting all this ecological richness is far from straightforward. In March 2024, figures published by the UN listed Liberia at 177th out of 193 countries measured on the Human Development Index and over half of the country’s population live in multidimensional poverty. It is easy to see why there can be great pressure on people to exploit the resources offered by forests. This can lead to damaging activities like timber extraction, mining, and unsustainable hunting.
So working with local communities is vital to develop sustainable sources of income that support people’s livelihoods and protect these valuable forests from destruction and degradation. And SCNL’s Forest Communities Livelihood Programme, the work that brings us to Lofa and its bumpy roads, is focused on doing just that. Under an exciting new project funded by the Ecological Restoration Fund, the Programme is bringing together a range of initiatives including beekeeping, cocoa production, and community microfinance – which is where our story begins.
Investing in the futureWith the journey eventually negotiated, the next day finds me at the headquarters of the Sebehill Multipurpose Farmers Cooperative in the town of Massabolahun. Sacks of cocoa beans line the walls and a heavy-looking padlocked box is perched proudly on the floor. In front of me sit the management team of the Village Savings & Loans Association who are busy explaining how they are helping local people to access much-needed financial support.
The town of Massabolahun, home to the Sebehill Cooperative. Shaded within the trees on the left are forest-friendly cocoa farms. Credit: Nick Williams/RSPB (rspb-images.com).
I hear a story of a single mother from a nearby community who had been struggling to feed her children but thanks to an affordable loans was able start a new business, farming beans and other crops. She is now able to save money through the scheme on a regular basis and is even training other women in the business skills she has developed.
Under the new project, two new Village Savings & Loans schemes were established in August 2024, including this one at Massabolahun, with each member receiving 25,000 Liberian dollars (roughly £110) as start-up capital to help develop new business ventures and achieve greater financial independence.
Savings contributions are then made on a regular basis with members being able to take out loans based on the amount they have saved. The interest charged on these loans is then re-invested into the fund to provide future loans. By offering affordable financial support, the project is not only helping to develop skills in managing finances but also encouraging local people to develop new income streams and so reduce overreliance on the forest and its natural resources.
The management team of the Sebehill Village Savings & Loans Association gathered around the all-important savings box. Credit: Nick Williams/RSPB (rspb-images.com).
Out on patrolWhen you are watching a team of conservationists hiking through a rainforest, it doesn’t take long to realise why the machete is such an important piece of kit.
We have travelled to an area of community forest close to the border with Sierra Leone and a team of local Community Ecoguards are showing me how they record their sightings while out on patrol. At the front of the group strides Thomas with his machete, carefully cutting a path through the dense vegetation so that others can follow safely.
“Oh yes it can be very difficult” explains one member of the team, Ecoguard Lassana Yamah. “Sometimes we have to cross rivers in the forest or go barefoot through swampy areas”. Having spent just a few hours with the team I’ve already been left with blood on both legs after a group of driver ants got busy chewing me. So I can only imagine the sort of determination that Lassana and his teammates need to summon up during their multi-day patrols.
Community Ecoguards like Hawa Kaifa (left) and Lassana Yamah (right) use smartphones and GPS devices to gather data while on patrol. Credit: Nick Williams/RSPB (rspb-images.com).
Groups of these dedicated young people, together with a ranger from the Forestry Development Authority, venture into the region’s protected forests to monitor levels of illegal activity, including bushmeat hunting, mining and timber extraction, as well signs of wildlife. These can include direct observations of a species or indications of their presence, such as a Chimpanzee nest or the dung of Pygmy Hippo. All of this vital data is now being captured and shared through smartphones after training on the SMART system (Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool) was successfully rolled out across the Greater Gola Landscape.
Signs of illegal activity can include discarded shotgun shells and freshly snapped branches left behind when paths have been cut through the forest. Credits: Nick Williams/RSPB (rspb-images.com).
The project is supporting Ecoguards with stipends for their patrol activities and in the three months between July and September 2024 their patrols covered over 300km in the area’s protected forests, gathering important information on both human activity and wildlife along the way.
Powerful podsBack on the outskirts of Massabolahun, I find myself standing in the shade of a cocoa farm. Shade is the key bit here. It is that shade that forms another important part of this project’s work to boost local livelihoods while protecting the forest.
This farm belongs to Samuka and as we talk he describes how things have changed in recent years thanks to training and support offered by SCNL and the local farmers’ cooperative.
“Things were really tough, we were planting cocoa but not getting a good price … People were buying the cocoa and selling it in Sierra Leone” Samuka explains. “Now when I pick the cocoa I am able to get plenty of money”.
Samuka J Konneh in the shade of his cocoa farm. Credit: Nick Williams/RSPB (rspb-images.com).
Here in Lofa, SCNL is working with more than 1,400 farmers to develop their cultivation of shade-grown cocoa which can offer much needed income while not demanding the clear-cutting of forest trees that some other crops require. Through two farmer cooperatives, help is being given to restore degraded farms by distributing cocoa tree seedlings, providing training on farm management, and offering centralised processing techniques including fermentation and use of solar dryers. These different practices play an important role in producing good quality beans and so achieving the highest market prices for farmers.
Rebecca S Borlay, Community Mobilisation Officer at SCNL, tending some of the 10,000 cocoa seedlings at the Sebehill nursery. Credit: Nick Williams/RSPB (rspb-images.com).
Crucially, improvements are also being made when it comes to selling the processed cocoa beans. A revolving fund, supported by the current project, provides money to buy beans from the cooperative. The beans are then sold on to exporters and the proceeds from these sales go back into the fund to support the next purchase of cocoa beans from the cooperatives. This has already seen the sale of nearly 3,000kg of processed cocoa beans between August and October 2024 alone.
Cocoa beans arranged in solar dryers at the Sebehill farmers’ cooperative – a key stage in processing the beans ready for market. Credit: Nick Williams/RSPB (rspb-images.com).
Beyond cocoaCocoa is not the only produce that is helping to boost livelihoods in a sustainable way here. The project team are also busy introducing beekeeping opportunities to interested local farmers. October saw a field assessment carried out by implementing organisation Universal Outreach to identify an initial group of 100 farmers. Over the coming weeks beehives are set to be distributed and training given on hive construction using local materials as well as beekeeping best practice. Like cocoa, honey production can offer farmers another alternative livelihood source that does not require forest clearing.
So as we bounce steadily along the long, winding road back to Monrovia, I have time to reflect on our visit. Whereas a few days earlier I was dwelling on trees, on the return journey I’m left thinking about people. Conservation can only happen through the dedication of people on the ground working together. Over the last few days I’ve been lucky enough to meet some of these determined individuals and take a glimpse at the vital work they are undertaking. It is thanks to their efforts that this project has the potential to make important progress for communities, wildlife and climate in this beautiful part of West Africa.
Looking down on an area of community forest home to cocoa farms outside Massabolahun, Lofa County, Liberia. Credit: Nick Williams/RSPB (rspb-images.com).
AcknowledgementsThis project is being undertaken by the Society for the Conservation of Nature of Liberia in partnership with the RSPB. This work has been made possible thanks to the generous support of the Ecological Restoration Fund.
The Ecological Restoration Fund supports work that protects biodiverse hotspots, rejuvenates degraded landscapes and promotes local environmental activism. They are committed to re-establishing nature’s essential interconnections while fostering cultural, social and economic opportunities for the communities inhabiting those landscapes.
Continue reading• Eyes in the forest: How camera traps in Liberia are uncovering rainforest secrets and supporting future conservation• Cocoa, cooperatives and conservation: The power of forest-friendly chocolate• ‘We are the frontline’: The Rangers of the Gola Rainforest
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