The fight against illegal wildlife trade remains of one the many challenges that conservationists cross border countries continue to face in their quest to save the unique biodiversity in the West African sub-region. Liberia and her neighbor Ivory Coast are no exception to the illegal wildlife trade.
However, conservationists say one way to tackle this is to have a tougher law that will curtail illegal wildlife trade and natural resources management especially in the transboundary area. Liberia and Ivory Coast currently have some cross border protected areas including the newly legislated Grebo-Krahn National Park located in southeastern Liberia.
Recently, a two day meeting of the Transboundary Law Enforcement Technical Committee for the Tai-Grebo-Krahn-Sapo forest landscape was convened in Monrovia from March 26-27, 2019 sponsored by USAID through the Wild Chimpanzee Foundation (WCF) and the West Africa Biodiversity and Climate Change ( WABiCC).
The Grebo-Krahn National Park (GKNP) is also found in the Tai-Grebo-Krahn-Sapo forest corridor.
Stakeholders from Liberia and the Ivory Coast at the meeting discussed modalities aimed at strengthening transboundary law enforcement mechanisms to protect the forest landscapes along the Liberia-Ivorian border and their inherent biodiversity. Held at a local hotel in Monrovia, the forum brought together 46 qualified members from both countries from the areas of law, natural resource exploitation and forest conservation.
In his opening remarks, FDA Deputy Managing Director for Operations, Joseph J. Tally called for tighter collaboration between the two countries in the fight against those common menaces that tend to undermine efforts being exerted by both countries to keep biodiversity conservation practically alive.
He said it was time both countries share procedures, muster the courage and robustly attack those vices that undermine the forest landscapes, thereby undercutting the dream of biodiversity conservation along the Liberia and Ivorian borders.
Similarly, the head of the Côte d’Ivoire delegation, Sihindou Coulibaly lauded the people and government of Liberia and referenced the longstanding historical ties between the two countries that have kept the torch of brotherliness always burning with peace and cordiality. He hoped the two countries will continue to sustain the pace of such relationship whose foundation had been laid by the founding fathers of both countries which he said observed and respected unabated at all levels.
A sequel to the first technical session held in Côte d’Ivoire in November 2018, the stakeholders comprehensively reviewed and scrutinized the progress made on the recommendations from the previous meeting. Respectively, presentations were made by experts from the Liberian and the Ivorian sides all pointing to how best the landscape can be managed and sustained consistent with the law.
Fight against Wildlife trade
A number of gaps and challenges were identified by the participants while practicable solutions were advanced to minimize, if not totally curb the prevailing illegal transboundary activities that continue to undercut efforts geared at upholding the tenet and practices of biodiversity conservation in the forest complex.
Participants at the meeting agreed in principle to amalgamate forces as inseparable team members to ensure that the claws of illegal activities in and around the landscape are quelled as much as possible as far as the Terms of Reference (ToR) of the Technical Committee is concerned. They made specific reference to information sharing mechanism as one key component that will cement the law enforcement approach by both parties.
Both sides also made a number of vital recommendations such as the recruitment and training of sizeable forest rangers in forest laws for the Grebo-Krahn National Park as well as effective joint security meetings and patrols as proactive means to curtail threatening circumstances that could possibly arise.
Tai-Grebo-Krahn-Sapo forest
Essentially, the Tai-Grebo-Krahn-Sapo forest complex represents one of the largest forest blocks in the West Africa sub-region that covers more than 10,000 square kilometers which embodies several protected areas, classified forests as well as logging concessions. Due to current pressure from human activities, the remaining ecosystem is fragmented as a result of natural resource trafficking including illegal bush meat trade, transboundary timber trafficking, illegal land sale for agriculture purposes on both sides of the river, among other things that are counterproductive to the health of the landscape.
Against this backdrop the governments of Côte d’Ivoire and Liberia in 2009, committed to better control the cross border trade of natural resources and combat illegal activities that threaten biodiversity.
