EAST NIMBA NATURE RESERVE MANAGEMENT PLAN FORESTRY DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY REPUBLIC OF LIBERIA March, 2014 ENNR - THIRD Draft Management Plan Printed: 16 April 2014 Table of Contents AUTHORIZATION ................................................................................................................................................. 1 VISION AND PARTNERSHIPS ................................................................................................................................ 2 1.1 PARTNERSHIPS ........................................................................................................................................... 2 2 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ................................................................................................................................ 3 3 INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................................... 4 3.1 PURPOSE OF THE PLAN .............................................................................................................................. 4 3.2 CONSULTATION ......................................................................................................................................... 4 3.3 PREVIOUS PLANS ....................................................................................................................................... 5 3.4 PERIOD OF VALIDITY .................................................................................................................................. 6 3.5 THE SCOPE OF THIS PLAN ........................................................................................................................... 6 4 BACKGROUND INFORMATION .................................................................................................................... 7 4.1 LOCATION, TOPOGRAPHY AND ACCESS ..................................................................................................... 7 4.2 CLIMATE, GEOLOGY AND SOILS ................................................................................................................. 8 4.3 VEGETATION .............................................................................................................................................. 8 4.4 FAUNA ....................................................................................................................................................... 9 4.4.1 Major mammal species ......................................................................................................................... 9 4.4.2 Birds ..................................................................................................................................................... 10 4.4.3 Others .................................................................................................................................................. 11 4.5 HISTORY AND PAST MANAGEMENT ......................................................................................................... 11 4.5.1 History ................................................................................................................................................. 11 4.5.2 Archaeology and Cultural Values ........................................................................................................ 12 4.5.3 Mining ................................................................................................................................................. 12 4.5.4 Management of the Reserve to date................................................................................................... 12 5 POLICY FRAMEWORK ................................................................................................................................ 14 5.1 ESTABLISHMENT AND ENABLING LEGISLATION ....................................................................................... 14 5.1.1 MANAGEMENT GOALS ........................................................................................................................ 14 5.1.2 BOUNDARY DEMARCATION ................................................................................................................ 15 5.2 FDA POLICY .............................................................................................................................................. 16 5.3 CO-MANAGEMENT .................................................................................................................................. 16 5.4 INTERNATIONAL STATUS ......................................................................................................................... 17 5.4.1 Trans-Boundary Conservation ............................................................................................................. 18 5.4.2 Tri-National Agreement ...................................................................................................................... 18 5.5 ECONOMIC POLICY .................................................................................................................................. 19 5.5.1 Mining ................................................................................................................................................. 20 6 EVALUATION AND OBJECTIVES ................................................................................................................. 21 6.1 IMPORTANCE ........................................................................................................................................... 21 6.2 SWOT ANALYSIS ....................................................................................................................................... 21 6.3 VALUES .................................................................................................................................................... 22 6.4 MAIN OBJECTIVES - OVERVIEW ................................................................................................................ 22 7 RESOURCE MANAGEMENT........................................................................................................................ 24 7.1 GENERAL MANAGEMENT POLICY ............................................................................................................ 24 7.2 BOUNDARY DEMARCATION ..................................................................................................................... 24 7.3 LANDSCAPE MANAGEMENT .................................................................................................................... 25 7.3.1 HABITAT RESTORATION ....................................................................................................................... 25 7.3.2 FIRE MANAGEMENT ............................................................................................................................ 27 7.3.3 ALIEN PLANT SPECIES .......................................................................................................................... 28 7.4 WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT ........................................................................................................................ 28 7.4.1 HUMAN-WILDLIFE CONFLICT .............................................................................................................. 29 ii ENNR - THIRD Draft Management Plan Printed: 16 April 2014 7.5 DOMESTIC ANIMALS, REINTRODUCTION & DISEASE CONTROL ............................................................... 30 7.5.1 Domestic Animals ................................................................................................................................ 30 7.5.2 Introductions and Re-Introductions ..................................................................................................... 30 7.5.3 Diseased, Injured and Abandoned Animals ......................................................................................... 31 7.6 UTILIZATION OF BIOLOGICAL PRODUCTS ................................................................................................ 31 7.7 ABANDONED MINE EQUIPMENT ............................................................................................................. 31 7.8 WATER POLLUTION .................................................................................................................................. 32 7.9 HISTORICAL SITES ..................................................................................................................................... 33 7.10 MINERAL PROSPECTING AND MINING ..................................................................................................... 33 7.11 ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENTS ............................................................................................... 34 7.12 CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION ...................................................................................................................... 34 8 ZONATION OF THE RESERVE ..................................................................................................................... 36 8.1 CORE ZONE .............................................................................................................................................. 36 8.1.1 BIODIVERISTY HOTSPOTS .................................................................................................................... 36 8.1.2 Habitats of potential