Forest Governance

The Policy Brief argues for an approach that situates forest and forest resources at the center of sustainable development efforts in forest communities. It proposes, for example that community forestry should be oriented towards social empowerment and community-owned enterprise development, and move away from the rent-seeking approach in which communities look to logging companies because they promise jobs, roads, schools, clinics, and clean water.

SDI Briefing 06 highlights local people’s preferences in the implementation of CFMAs in Liberia. It sought to establish the preferred community-owned forest enterprises, what communities are already doing to pursue their preferred enterprise development and, what the main commercial enterprises in the study communities are. The brief is limited in scope given that only two CFMA communities were covered. However, the selection of the communities was purposely representative of the two categories of CFMAs that are dominant in the sector, i.e.

SDI briefing paper 05: The Sewacajua Community Forest The need to strengthen rule of law in the community forestry sector in Liberia

 This briefing paper presents findings of assessment in Sewacajua CFMA in Sinoe County, specifically highlighting the legal compliance and other issues that need to be addressed to make the CFMA compliant and ensure that it meaningfully benefits the community.

This briefing paper provides an analysis of the revenue flow from the logging industry into the national coffers and logging affected communities. Publicly available national revenue collection data and payments to communities are used as the basis for the analysis to ensure a fairly accurate assessment of the financial flows.

This monitoring framework was developed by SDI under the project: Tackling deforestation through linking REDD and FLEGT and funded by European Commission and  UK Department of International Development. It broadens ongoing civil society initiative to include monitoring access to information, participation in benefit sharing and community rights involving REDD+ programs currently ongoing in the Liberian forest sector.

This briefing paper asserts that "Logging without a permit or outside a logging contract area or concession is illegal". The Forestry Development Authority has committed to "formulate a regulation ensuring forestry legal requirements are followed regarding felling of logs alongside access road leading into a concession area" from SDI’s publication Logging Outside the Blouquia Community Forest Management Area 2.

This report will examine two of the most serious potential threats to good governance and professional management of Liberian forests: the looming wave of Community Forestry Management Agreements (CFMAs), and the potential for large-scale conversion of forests into agriculture plantations – particularly oil palm. By examining these emerging issues critically, the Sustainable Development Institute (SDI) hopes to warn the Liberian government and its partners of the potential for abuse and mismanagement in coming years.

This report presents an analysis of lessons learned from the forest sector reform process and includes recommendations for all key players to ensure the implementation of the VPA will contribute to improving good governance in Liberia.