EPA Calls for Stronger Environmental Safeguards, Community Protection in Liberia’s Forest Policy
By: Laymah Kollie
MONROVIA, Liberia — Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Executive Director Dr. Emmanuel Yarkpawolo Urey has called for stronger environmental safeguards, adequate funding, and greater community participation in Liberia’s Forest Sector Policy and Strategy, urging stakeholders to translate policy commitments into practical and enforceable actions.
Dr. Urey made the call during the national validation of Liberia’s Forest Sector Policy and Strategy, where he emphasized the need to balance economic opportunities from the country’s forest resources with environmental protection and the rights of forest-dependent communities.
In his statement, the EPA boss outlined key action points he believe must be incorporated into the strategy before its finalization. They include early environmental assessments, protection of sensitive ecosystems, community participation, and transparent monitoring of implementation.
“As we validate this policy, our responsibility is to ensure that economic opportunities are supported by clear, practical, and enforceable environmental safeguards,” Dr. Urey said.
Early environmental assessments, stronger agency coordination
Dr. Urey stressed that environmental safeguards must guide decisions from the beginning of activities affecting forest landscapes, calling for environmental screening, appropriate environmental and social assessments, and stronger coordination between the EPA and the Forestry Development Authority (FDA).
He also warned against assessing the environmental consequences of logging, mining, agriculture, and infrastructure projects in isolation, arguing that their combined impacts across entire landscapes must be considered.
“We must consider the combined impacts of logging, mining, agriculture, and infrastructure across entire landscapes,” he said, adding that preventing environmental damage is often less costly and more effective than repairing it.
The EPA director’s recommendation places emphasis on preventive measures and inter-agency coordination as Liberia works to establish a framework for managing its forest resources.
Protection of watersheds, wetlands and wildlife corridors
Another major action point identified by Dr. Urey is the need to clearly identify and protect ecologically sensitive areas, including watersheds, wetlands, riverbanks, wildlife corridors, and forests of high conservation value.
He said the strategy should establish measurable requirements for minimizing forest loss, controlling erosion and pollution, restoring degraded areas, and monitoring compliance wherever forest-related activities are permitted.
Dr. Urey further emphasized that restoration commitments must be backed by adequate budgets, clear deadlines, and institutions that can be held accountable for delivering results.
“Restoration commitments must have budgets, deadlines, and accountable institutions,” he stated.
His position underscores the need for the proposed strategy to move beyond broad conservation commitments and establish specific measures against which implementation can be assessed.
Community rights and benefit-sharing
The EPA chief also called for forest-dependent communities to play a meaningful role in decisions affecting their land, natural resources, and livelihoods.
He stressed that women, young people, and vulnerable groups must have a voice in the process, while transparent benefit-sharing arrangements, respect for community rights, and accessible grievance mechanisms should form part of the strategy’s implementation.
According to Dr. Urey, the long-term success of forest conservation depends partly on whether communities trust the institutions responsible for managing forest resources and experience tangible benefits from conservation efforts.
“Conservation will endure when communities experience its benefits and trust the institutions responsible,” he said.
The call highlights the importance of ensuring that forest governance does not focus solely on environmental protection but also addresses the interests and welfare of people whose livelihoods depend on forest resources.
Adequate financing, inspections and public reporting
Dr. Urey identified financing and independent verification as additional priorities, saying the policy must establish clear institutional responsibilities, realistic funding arrangements, reliable environmental data, regular inspections, and public reporting.
He also pointed to emerging opportunities in carbon finance, stressing that such initiatives must maintain environmental integrity and deliver measurable benefits to communities.
“A strong policy needs clear institutional responsibilities, realistic funding, reliable environmental data, regular inspections, and public reporting,” he said.
The recommendation places accountability at the center of implementation, with an emphasis on ensuring that commitments made under the strategy can be monitored and independently verified.
Stakeholders urged to agree on responsibilities
Dr. Urey urged participants at the validation exercise to critically examine the proposed safeguards, identify gaps, and agree on responsibilities before the policy document is finalized.
“Today’s validation should test whether these commitments can be translated into action. Let us examine the safeguards, identify gaps, and agree on responsibilities before finalizing the document,” he said.
He reaffirmed the EPA’s readiness to work with the FDA and development partners to strengthen implementation of the strategy.
The EPA chief also linked sustainable forest management to Liberia’s broader development and climate objectives, noting that the country’s forests protect water sources, conserve biodiversity, store carbon, support agriculture, and sustain community livelihoods.
He said their continued health is essential to the environmental sustainability pillar of the government’s ARREST Agenda for Inclusive Development.
Dr. Urey concluded by urging stakeholders to support a forest policy capable of protecting livelihoods, strengthening climate resilience, and contributing to the prosperity of future generations of Liberians.
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