By Jonathan O. Grigsby, Snr.
Touring many of the Coastal Counties in Liberia, mainly Montserrado County, including the nation’s capital Monrovia, I usually can shed tears when I see how the country’s wetlands are grossly being axed and massively daggered by people, while the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Government of Liberia’s institution, with the sole mandate to protect the environment of our beloved country and its people, observes and doing nothing.
What I am looking at has led me to ask several questions in relation to the wetlands, and how it is being handled.
Is it that the EPA is not cognizant of the massive destruction that is ongoing or is it that the EPA is not cognizant of the vital, importance and significance of the wetlands? Or does it not have the enforcement authority to stop people from destroying the wetlands?
There are many more questions I could ask the EPA, but I don’t need to, because the EPA does have the enforcement power, and it is fully aware and knowledgeable about the importance of the wetlands. And lastly, it is aware about the ongoing massive destruction Liberia’s wetlands, which bleeds my heart.
Let me push EPA aside a bit and provide us all who knowingly or unknowingly are massively damaging or destroying wetlands about how important it is to all the habitants on the earth.
Studies About Wetland
What have studies shown about wetland? Wetlands are crucial for environmental health, providing flood control, water purification, groundwater recharge, and carbon storage, while also supporting immense biodiversity as habitats for countless species and nurseries for fisheries.
Wetlands offer economic benefits through recreation, fisheries, and natural resources, plus cultural value and climate regulation, acting as vital links between land and water.
Moreover, let me drive us a little bit deeper.
The Environmental Significance includes Water Quality: under this, wetlands filter pollutants, improving water quality in rivers and groundwater.
Flood Protection: They act as giant sponges, absorbing and storing floodwaters, reducing damage and erosion.
Groundwater: They recharge underground aquifers, maintaining water supply during dry periods.
Climate Regulation: Wetlands store significant amounts of carbon, helping stabilize climate, and Erosion Control: Coastal wetlands buffer shores from waves and storms.
Another vital role of wetlands is Biodiversity and Habitat. Rich Habitats: They host a vast array of plants and animals, with 40 percent of Earth’s species relying on wetlands.
Nursery Grounds: Critical for breeding and shelter for fish, shellfish, and migratory birds. Threatened Species: Home to a disproportionate number of threatened and endangered species.
Furthermore their Social and Cultural Significance Health and Wellbeing: Exposure to wetland blue spaces is linked to improved mental health and reduced anxiety and stress.
Cultural Heritage: Many wetlands hold deep spiritual and historical significance, particularly for Indigenous communities like the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Recreation: They are popular sites for bird watching, photography, kayaking, and sustainable hunting, contributing significantly to the outdoor recreation economy.
I could list many more of what studies have revealed on wetlands and how they are very, very important to all living things on planet Earth.
Because of how vital wetlands are, and Liberia does have wetlands, I am obliged to ask: Liberia’s Wetlands are being Daggered Massively: What is EPA Doing?
This write-up is intended to claim the urgent attention of all Liberians, various community dwellers across the country, civil society organizations, and our international environmental partners, including policy makers, to secure our country’s wetlands by constructively engaging the EPA to ensure our wetlands are properly protected.
I can name places where destructions are ongoing around Liberia, even right here in Monrovia and parts of Montserrado County, there are widespread axing taking place. And interestingly, some of the very EPA’s top and middle managers, including employees, are living in some of the areas the worst is happening.
Their cars are on the Japanese Highway, 72nd Boulevard, Old Road, Sinkor, Jallah Town, Bushrod Island, Virginia and the list is endless, least to mention Marshall in Margibi, Robertsport, in Grand Cape Mount County, including Sinoe, Rivercess, Maryland Counties, etc.
The protection of wetlands here in Liberia is not only the sole responsibilities of the country, its protection is supported by international treaties, conventions and protocols. So, why can’t we work toward the protection of wetlands to put us all on the safer side?
Studies have shown that an estimated $23 billion is used annually for coastal wetlands protection, like mangroves and salt marshes, to save and protect communities from storm damage and hurricanes in many Western Countries.
Executive Order No. 143
However, looking at the severity of wetlands encroachment, President Joseph N. Boakai on February 24, 2025, issued Executive Order No. 143, establishing a Taskforce against the Encroachment on Beachfronts, Waterways and Wetlands.
With the growing concerns over pollution, erosion, and climate change, the Executive Order seeks to curb harmful activities that threaten marine and terrestrial ecosystems.
The Executive Order also emphasized that the unchecked encroachment and pollution of wetlands, waterways, and beachfronts pose significant risks to both the environment and the livelihoods of Liberians. So then, what is the EPA is doing or up to.
Should someone like me and other of like minds lead protests or demonstrations at EPA Head Offices before the Agency can act on this? It is very serious, there is no joke about this, my people. It is not politics. It is about the survivability of Liberia’s wetlands that will make the country a better place of all Liberians, including foreign nationals.
I will not go into the TOR–(the Term of Reference) of the newly formed Taskforce, but thanked the President for including other government ministries to help EPA in the quest to adequately protect the wetlands of the country. It is Chaired by the Executive Director of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Co-chaired by the Chairman of the Liberia Land Authority.
Finally, Liberians, let us not just sit and fold our arms, the wrongful usage of our wetlands is very serious, and wetlands are among the most productive ecosystems in the world, often referred to as the “Kidneys of the Landscape” for their role in water purification and the “Biological Supermarkets” for the vast volumes of food they provide.
That is my thought on Liberia’s Wetlands as it is being Daggered Massively:
What is EPA Doing?
