At least more than 500 school going pupils around the fringes of the Grebo/Krahn National park located in the South east, specifically River Gee and Grand Gedeh counties are being targeted to receive notebooks from the AMBERO/GIZ through the awareness and Ecotourism Division of the Forestry Development Authority (FDA).

Shortly, a team from the Ecotourism Division of the Forestry Development Authority will begin the awareness exercises which precedes the official demarcation, a task considered very critical and technically important to the process. Essentially, the notebook bears the photos of several endangered species that are set aside by the wildlife law of Liberia to be protected. Wildlife conservation remains the crux of the conservation of biodiversity.  Making the presentation Tuesday October 16, 2018 in the office of the FDA Managing Director, AMBERO/GIZ Country Director Mr. Santiago said the notebooks are intended to benefit the students at the fringes of the national park. He said his institution is prepared to assist the relevant divisions of the FDA including the Public Affairs and Ecotourism achieve their goals in the pending boundary  demarcation exercises which is expected to commence soon after the awareness exercises are completed.

Receiving the sample of the notebooks, FDA Managing Director, C. Mike Doyern lauded the AMBERO/GIZ family for the gesture and hoped they will do more in the near future. He used the occasion to urge the partners working in the forest sector to consider creating job opportunities for needy Liberians as a way of practically living up to government’s dream of lifting the poor from the dungeon.

He emphasized that the most practical and effective way of protecting the forest is to first ensure that the social and economic needs of the forest dependents are met. He then advanced the need of shifting the mindset of the people towards agricultural activities to include aquaculture like is done in other neighboring countries.  He reiterated that the 3cs policy-conservation, commercial and community forestry programs will be proportionally applied without anyone talking prominence over the others.  He said if Liberia is to catch up with other progressing countries, its policies and programs, like in the case with FDA should be supported in the truest sense of the word by conservation partners.

The Grebo-Krahn National Park is part of a well identified and globally recognized biodiversity hotspot. It’s home to one of largest populations of the critically endangered West African Chimpazee as well as the endangered pygmy hippopotamus, western red colobus and jentink’s duiker, amongst others. In so far more than 300 species of fauna have been observed in the park as well as a vast array of important plat life.