Forestry
Consortium Partners Hold One-day Project Consortium Meeting
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Liberia Consortium Partners implementing the “Building Legal Foundations for Sustainable Forests and Livelihoods Project” which is funded by the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (“Norad”) and implemented by ClientEarth, a not-for- profit environmental organization based in the United Kingdom, held a one-day in-person consortium meeting on Thursday, 27th April 2023. The meeting was held at the offices of the Foundation for Community Initiatives (FCI) in Dwarzon, Margibi County.
The Norad-funded project is implemented by a consortium of four Liberian partners including the Sustainable Development Institute, Foundation for Community Initiatives, the National Union of Community Forestry Management Body and the Heritage Partners & Associates, LLC (HPA) who is the only for-profit organization providing legal consultancy to communities benefiting from the project.
The project is designed to enhance the capacities of forest communities to continue building the necessary legal foundation needed to engage in sustainable forest and livelihoods. Each consortium partner implements specific aspects of the Project. HPA provides legal training in community forest legal framework and community forest governance structures; assists communities to draft/revise/amend their by-laws to ensure compliance with law and to address governance issues in forest communities; provides mediation support and alternative dispute resolution within community forests. HPA’s support to the project helps community stakeholders such as forest governance structure, local government officials, and the communities to understand how community forest is governed and managed.
The project is being implemented in nine communities within four counties – Gbarpolu, Grand Bassa, Lofa and Nimba Counties.