Protecting Liberia’s forests and oceans for the benefit of people
Since 2001, Conservation International-Liberia has worked to balance conservation, sustainable production and the economic development of Liberia.
By working with local communities to promote forest protection, we're helping conserve biodiversity-rich forests in East Nimba — securing their climate and socioeconomic benefits for generations to come. Our Blue Oceans Program is promoting the establishment of new protected areas, tackling plastic pollution and restoring the critical benefits that Liberia's coastal and marine ecosystems provide for communities and wildlife.
We’re working closely with the government to incorporate natural climate solutions into Liberia’s commitments to the Paris Agreement, helping the West African country to develop a nature-first strategy that prioritizes the protection and restoration of vital ecosystems that store large amounts of potentially climate-warming carbon.
2001
YEAR FOUNDED
2.9M
PEOPLE
dependent on nature in Liberia1
100M
METRIC TONS
of irrecoverable carbon in Liberia2
4
Vertebrate species
that are endemic to Liberia3
Areas we work
Protecting threatened forests and mangroves
As part of the Food Systems, Land Use and Restoration (FOLUR) Impact Program — a joint effort by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and World Bank — Conservation International-Liberia is working to promote biodiversity conservation and sustainable food systems in northwest Liberia.
Home to some of the largest remaining forests in West Africa, northwest Liberia is a global conservation priority for carbon, biodiversity and vital ecosystems that provide fresh water for more than a million Liberians.
The multi-year project, which began in 2021, will strengthen land-use planning to identify essential areas for forest protection and restoration, and for the sustainable production of crops, including palm oil and cacao.
Under our GEF Natural Capital Accounting Project, we are also working with the government of Liberia to establish mangrove ecosystem accounts. The objective is to enhance the conservation and sustainable use of Liberia’s natural capital by integrating the value of nature into the country’s development trajectory.
References
- Fedele, G., Donatti, C. I., Bornacelly, I., & Hole, D. G. (2021). Nature-dependent people: Mapping human direct use of nature for basic needs across the tropics. ScienceDirect, 71. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2021.102368
- Conservation International (2021, November). Irrecoverable Carbon. Retrieved January 2025, from https://www.conservation.org/irrecoverable-carbon
- The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. (2024). Table 8a: Total, threatened, and EX & EW endemic species in each country [Fact sheet]. https://www.iucnredlist.org/resources/summary-statistics#Summary%20Tables