Peter Mulbah

The Development of an Integrated Youth Environmental Rights and Education Outreach Program in Communities Around the Wonegizi Proposed Protected Area in Lofa County

The Wonegizi Mountains are situated in the north-west of the country along the international frontier with the Republic of Guinea. The Wonegizi Range, which includes the third-highest point in Liberia, is a southern spur of the Guinea Highlands and the site is contiguous with the Massif du Ziama Biosphere Reserve in Guinea. The Wonegizi proposed protected area is located in Ziama Clan, Zorzor District, Lofa County and covers 37,979 hectares; which includes Liberia's highest peak, Mt. Wutewe (1,424m). The Ziama Clan which hosts these mountains comprise 16 major towns with an estimated population of 40,000 people.

SADS has worked in the Wonegizi Mountain region since 2005 providing environmental and conservation awareness, along side with alternative livelihood skills with support from the Critical Ecosystem Partnership. This intervention was designed to provide alternative sources of livelihood for communities as a means of securing their support for conservation. Recently, SADS have completed an assessment of these 16 communities looking at their socio- cultural, None Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) and agro-forestry options.

However, based on the findings of this current assessment, youths now pose the most serious threats to the forest. They are engaged in unsustainable harvesting of NTFPs, Uncontrolled hunting and pit-sawing primarily to support their lifestyles.

This project has therefore evolved out of previous project implemented by SADS around the East Nimba Nature Reserve and recent assessments in Lofa County, and will focus on the development of an integrated youth environmental education and outreach program focusing specifically on the communities located around the Wonegizi Proposed Protected area in Lofa County- Liberia.

SADS will develop and design an integrated environmental education and outreach program for youths. A key strategy for the development process will consider community assessment conducted in the form of youth groups discussion, town hall meeting and interest groups meetings, with the understanding of collecting data and information that would feed into program development documents. During these discussions, for example, participants will be challenged to identify and discuss their meaningful participation relevant to the importance of natural resource conservation and sustainable forest use for secured livelihoods, improved rural health and opportunities for sustainable income generation. This will challenge youths to behave in an environmentally friendly and responsible manner.
Ensuring long term sustainability of natural resources management in Liberia depend on the education of the Liberian youths as an integral part of the process. If programs are not developed to address these issues properly, they will continue to engage in activities and practices that threaten the fabric of natural resource in Liberia.

The project activities are as follows:

1. Youth Base Environmental Assessment: SADS will conduct environmental conservation assessment among youths in sixteen communities to understand and document drivers of their activities that pose pressure on the Wonegizi proposed protected forest area. This assessment will be done by gathering youths in the form of focus group discussion, town hall meetings and forums. The finding from these events will give fair information on what measure needed to tackle and address the threats.

2. Youth Base Environmental Awareness: SADS will conduct environmental awareness in sixteen communities about the importance of keeping the Wonegizi proposed protected forest area environmentally friendly. This will simultaneously be done with the assessments. It will start at the beginning and is realized throughout the life span of the project.

3. Program development: SADS will use the feedback received from the various communities meetings and forums to develop an environmental program that integrate the voices of young rural people. This draft document will later be taken to the communities to be vetted and finalized before making available for public consumption. Each community will receive a copy of the final draft of the document developed. This will demonstrate to young people that the program is intended to help them realized how they can sustainably cultivate the wild plants and animal species for better livelihood support.

To read about Peter's previous project http://www.ruffordsmallgrants.org/rsg/projects/peter_mulbah or for further information contact sads_inc@yahoo.com or pmulbah_sads@yahoo.com