The protected areas in Liberia constitute a precious natural resource, containing food species, wood, medicinal products, and also offer ecosystem services. Communities around these areas own extensive stretches of forest areas that they do not have access to as a result of laws governing the forest and its resources. This has overtime deprived fringe communities of strict protected areas of meeting their basic livelihood and therefore increased poverty among the rural people in Liberia. This is the case of local communities adjacent the East Nimba Nature Reserve (ENNR) in Liberia including Dulay, and Nyantuo communities.
Rural Integrated Center for community Empowerment (RICCE) the proponent of this project is a registered local NGO (MPEA/NGO/ CA#:082) that have been working in Liberia since ??.(see background).
This project wishes to ensure better access to and management of forest resources by the above mentioned local communities. It will also address issues of community livelihood provision, sustainable management and conservation of biodiversity and also address the issue of deforestation and improve the capacities of communities and their various groupings to face existing threats and other future challenges. This action will include income generating, food security and health related activities in order to reduce the high poverty levels and improve livelihoods in the area. The latter are considered a necessity for mobilizing people to take part in environmental activities. The project shall therefore work closely with traditional leaders in these communities and assist in the establishment of community structures.
Through this project, RICCE will strengthen the capacities of community members in project management and implementation in order to promote ownership of the project. The development of this proposal is timely as it relates to the continuation of previous biodiversity conservation funded by the GEF small grant for the same area of the ENNR. A request was made by the communities during the close of the first project for RICCE to do a follow up project that could increase or consolidate the capacity required.