By Olando Testimony Zeongar
MONROVIA – Journalists for the Protection of Nature (JPN Liberia), an environmental media watchdog, has accused the Forestry Development Authority (FDA) and the Ministry of Mines and Energy to invade the Krahn-Bassa Forest, a proposed protected forest area situated in River Cess County.
Addressing a news conference over the weekend, JPN Liberia Program Director, Mark Dahn, reading from a prepared text signed by the groups’ Executive Director, Joseph O. Sayon, also disclosed that the FDA and Mines Ministry officials are planning to invade the Gola Forest National Party, a protected forest area under the laws of Liberia.
environmental media watchdog warned that if the portion of the Krahn-Bassa Forest is invaded for mining purposes, in line with what’s being planned by FDA Managing Director, Rudolph J. Merab and Deputy Mines Minister Fahnseth B. Mulbah, it will scare away donors and create donor-fatigue in Liberia’s conservation strides that are backed by heavy international support.
“We consider this move on the part of officials of the FDA and the Ministry of Mines as a gross undermining of Liberia’s commitment to meeting the Bonne Challenge of conserving 1 million hectares, which constitutes 30 percent of Liberia’s forest area,” Dahn stated, adding that FDA Managing Director Merab and Deputy Mines Minister for Planning and Research, Mulbah, along with River Cess County Legislative Caucus chair, Senator Wellington Geevon Smith, of conniving to hand over a vast portion of the Krahn-Bassa Forest to GLM Mining Company, a subsidiary of Bea Mountain Mining Company, for mining purposes.
The Krahn-Bassa Forest is currently undergoing land formulation to complete the process of gazetting in preparation for legislative approval and enactment into law, according to Dahn, who emphasized that JPN Liberia, as a civil society organization established since 2014, views this latest action on the part of FDA Managing Director Merab and Deputy Mines Minister Mulbah and others as being detrimental to the principles of conservation and efforts of the donor community aimed at conserving Liberia’s forests.
“Ladies and gentlemen of the press, I want to highlight that from 2006 to 2023, Liberia has made significant strides in promoting conservation activities through the Forestry Development Authority. These efforts led to the creation of the Krahn-Bassa Proposed Protected Area. Unfortunately, this important milestone is now threatened by the current FDA Managing Director, Mr. Rudolph J. Merab,” Dahn told the news conference.
Dahn disclosed that during a recent visit of a JPN Liberia investigative and fact-finding team to communities surrounding the Krahn-Bassa Proposed Protected Area, it was discovered that many local leaders and community members had previously embraced conservation, indicating that however, local leaders and community dwellers in the area are now being coerced by the FDA boss and others including River Cess County Legislative Caucus chair, Senator Smith, into supporting mining activities in the area.
“It is also important to add that this unfortunate undertaking on the part of the FDA Managing Director and some officials of the Mines Ministry to evade a proposed protected area and a protected area, the Gola Forest, will scare away donors; leading to strain in needed donor support, thereby undermining Pillard-Five of the Arrest Agenda for Inclusive Development (AAID), and present the country to the rest of the world as being unserious in the fight against climate change,” Dahn pointed out.
Meanwhile, JPN Liberia is calling on Mr. Merab and his associates to immediately abort what the group described as their “sinister plan” of granting mining license in the Krahn-Bassa Forest, which the environmental media watchdog says is endowed with endangered species such as the flying lizard that is new to science.
“Also, ladies and gentlemen of the press, having confirmed that Mr. Merab and his technical and commercial team will be traveling to the Gola Forest next week, to initiate a logging plan, which will subsequently pave the way for logging activities in the Gola Forest National Park, which is protected by law, we are calling on the FDA Managing Director and his accomplices to halt all planned activities in the Krahn-Bassa Forest, and the Gola Forest National Park,” JPN Liberia emphasized.
