LIBERIA ENVIRONMENTAL THREATS AND OPPORTUNITIES ASSESSMENT (ETOA) FINAL REPORT SEPTEMBER 2008 This publication was produced for review by the United States Agency for International Development. It was prepared by DAI. LIBERIA ENVIRONMENTAL THREATS AND OPPORTUNITIES ASSESSMENT (ETOA) FINAL REPORT Submitted to: USAID/Liberia, Office of Economic Growth Task Order EPP-I-02-06-00021-00 Submitted by: Development Alternatives Inc. 7600 Wisconsin Ave., Suite 200 Bethesda, MD 20814 Tel: (301) 771 7600 Fax: (301) 771 7777 Cover Photo: +/- 100ha section of forest cleared for cassava production at the proposed Lake Piso National Park site. The authors’ views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of the United States Agency for International Development or the United States Government. CONTENTS ACRONYMS .................................................................................. XIII EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ................................................................ XIX BACKGROUND ....................................................................... XXXVII PART 1: STATE OF THE ENVIRONMENT ........................................ 1 SECTION 1: THREATS TO ECOSYSTEMS, INCLUDING TERRESTRIAL, COASTAL, WETLANDS AND MARINE AREAS .... 2 1.0 FOREST ECOSYSTEMS .................................................. 2 1.1 THREATS TO FOREST ECOSYSTEMS .............................. 4 1.1.1 Illegal and quasi-legal logging .......................... 4 1.1.2 Shifting cultivation ............................................ 5 1.1.3 The bushmeat trade ......................................... 7 1.1.4 Mining .............................................................. 9 1.1.5 Agro-industrial crops ...................................... 14 1.1.6 Alien invasive species .................................... 16 1.2 COASTAL AND MARINE ECOSYSTEMS .......................... 16 1.2.1 Over exploitation of demersal fish species ..... 17 1.2.2 Over exploitation of other species .................. 18 1.2.3 Beach sand mining and beach erosion .......... 19 1.2.4 Mangrove loss ............................................... 20 1.2.5 Threats to coastal (brackish) wetlands ........... 21 1.3 FRESHWATER ECOSYSTEMS ........................................ 22 1.3.1 Rivers and streams ........................................ 22 1.3.2 Freshwater wetlands ...................................... 23 SECTION 2: POTENTIAL EFFECTS OF CLIMATE......................... 25 2.1 TERRESTRIAL ECOSYSTEMS ........................................ 25 2.1.1 Tropical agriculture ecosystems ..................... 25 2.1.2 Tropical forest ecosystems ............................ 26 2.2 COASTAL ECOSYSTEMS .............................................. 26 2.3 BIODIVERSITY ............................................................. 27 SECTION 3: ENVIRONMENTAL AND NATURAL RESOURCE HAZARDS AND DEGRADATION (URBAN AND RURAL) .............. 29 3.1 WATER AND WASTEWATER ......................................... 29 3.2 SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT ...................................... 31 3.3 OTHER ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS ............................. 32 LIBERIA ENVIRONMENTAL THREATS AND OPPORTUNITIES ASSESSMENT (ETOA) i SECTION 4: ENVIRONMENTAL AND OTHER POLICIES IMPACTING NATURAL RESOURCES AND ECOSYSTEMS .............................. 35 4.1 ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY ............................................ 35 4.1.1 National Environmental Policy ........................ 35 4.1.2 Legal framework ............................................ 38 4.2 FOREST POLICY .......................................................... 46 4.2.1 National Forestry Policy ................................. 46 4.2.2 Legal framework ............................................ 54 4.3 DRAFT FISHERIES POLICY ........................................... 55 4.3.1 Legal framework ............................................ 57 4.4 NATIONAL INTEGRATED WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT POLICY (DRAFT 2007) ............................................................ 59 4.4.1 Legal framework ............................................ 60 4.5 FOOD AND AGRICULTURE POLICY AND STRATEGY (DRAFT 2008) ....................................................................... 61 4.6 MINING POLICY ........................................................... 63 4.7 LAND RIGHTS AND LAND TENURE POLICY .................... 63 4.8 INTERNATIONAL POLICY COMMITMENTS ....................... 64 4.9 POLICY AND REGULATORY ISSUES .............................. 67 SECTION 5: INSTITUTIONS IN THE ENVIRONMENT SECTOR AND AFFECTING ENVIRONMENTAL STATUS ...................................... 71 5.1 GOVERNMENT OF LIBERIA INSTITUTIONS ...................... 71 5.1.1 Independent agencies .................................... 71 5.1.2 Ministries ....................................................... 72 5.1.3 Corporations, companies and boards ............. 74 5.1.4 Detailed profiles of key GOL institutions ......... 74 5.2 NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL NONGOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS ..................................................................... 90 5.2.1 Domestic NGOs ............................................. 90 5.2.2 International NGOs ........................................ 92 5.3 INSTITUTIONAL ISSUES AFFECTING ENVIRONMENTAL STATUS ................................................................................. 94 5.3.1 Dependence on foreign expertise and resources .................................................................. 94 5.3.2 Infrastructure and administration .................... 95 5.3.3 Human resources ........................................... 95 5.3.4 Information and data collection ...................... 97 5.3.5 Enforcement .................................................. 98 5.3.6 Overlapping mandates ................................... 99 5.3.7 Institutional collaboration ................................ 99 5.3.8 Financial support .......................................... 101 ii LIBERIA ENVIRONMENTAL THREATS AND OPPORTUNITIES ASSESSMENT (ETOA) SECTION 6: UNDERLYING CAUSES OF ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION ............................................................................. 103 6.1 LACK OF ALTERNATIVE FINANCING ............................ 103 6.2 LACK OF CAPACITY................................................... 103 6.3 WEAK LAW ENFORCEMENT ....................................... 103 6.4 LACK OF A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO ENVIRONMENT/ NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT .................................................... 104 6.5 BARRIERS TO ALTERNATIVE LIVELIHOODS ................. 105 6.6 INSECURE LAND AND RESOURCE TENURE .................. 105 6.7 ABSENCE OF A STRATEGY TO ADDRESS THE COMPROMISES BETWEEN ENVIRONMENT AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ....... 106 6.8 ABSENCE OF ANY LAND USE PLANNING .................... 106 SECTION 7: APPROACHES AND INTERVENTIONS USED BY ALL INSTITUTIONS (E.G., NGOS, GOVERNMENT, PRIVATE SECTOR) AND RESULTS OBTAINED UNDER EXISTING ENABLING CONDITIONS INCLUDING THE LEGAL AND REGULATORY ENVIRONMENT ............................................................................. 109 7.1 DONOR-GOVERNMENT COALITIONS—THE LIBERIA FOREST INITIATIVE ............................................................................ 109 7.2 SMALL GRANTS FUNDS FOR BIODIVERSITY IN A POST CONFLICT SITUATION ........................................................... 110 7.3 FARMERS FIELD SCHOOLS ........................................ 110 7.4 SAVE MY FUTURE FOUNDATION’S (SAMFU) MARINE SEA TURTLE PROGRAM ............................................................... 111 7.5 MEDIATION IN PROTECTED AREA BOUNDARY DEMARCATION ..................................................................... 111 SECTION 8: OPPORTUNITIES AND CONSTRAINTS ASSOCIATED WITH ALL ENVIRONMENTAL ELEMENTS (E.G., COASTAL MANAGEMENT, FORESTRY RESOURCES)................................ 113 8.1 OPPORTUNITIES FOR POLICY DEVELOPMENT, LIVELIHOOD AND ECONOMIC GROWTH...................................................... 113 8.1.1 Policy and planning ...................................... 113 8.1.2 Livelihoods and economic growth ................ 116 8.2 OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPROVING COLLABORATION .... 117 8.3 OPPORTUNITIES FOR ALTERNATIVE FINANCING .......... 118 8.4 OPPORTUNITIES FOR CAPACITY BUILDING ................. 119 8.5 CONSERVATION OPPORTUNITIES ............................... 121 SECTION 9: INDICATORS OF ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGE/HEALTH AND POTENTIAL MONITORING SYSTEMS................................. 125 9.1 BACKGROUND .......................................................... 125 9.2 THE ENVIRONMENTAL FRAMEWORK ........................... 125 9.3 SUGGESTED INDICATORS .......................................... 127 LIBERIA ENVIRONMENTAL THREATS AND OPPORTUNITIES ASSESSMENT (ETOA) iii 9.3.1 Land indicators ............................................ 127 9.3.2 Biodiversity indicators .................................. 127 9.3.3 Water indicators .......................................... 129 9.3.4 Air indicators ................................................ 130 9.4 POTENTIAL ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING SYSTEMS . 131 SECTION 10: KEY LINKS BETWEEN ECONOMIC GROWTH, HEALTH AND GOVERNANCE ACTIVITIES AND ENVIRONMENTAL THREATS AND OPPORTUNITIES ................................................................. 133 PART 2: ACTIONS NECESSARY AND PLANNED TO CONSERVE TROPICAL FORESTS AND BIODIVERSITY ................................. 135 1.0 INTRODUCTION ................................................................ 136 2.0 OVERVIEW OF TROPICAL FOREST AND BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION