The Government of Liberia in partnership in with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) have launched the final phase of the National Forest Inventory (NFI) in Bong and Grand Bassa Counties.

According to FAO’s Global Forest Resources Assessment 2015, 43 percent of Liberia is covered with forests which a large portion of the country’s rural population depends on for their livelihoods.

The NFI is, therefore, an important tool in monitoring changes in land use and providing national estimates of forest resources in Liberia. The information produced is key for sustainable forest management activities that will, in future, benefit local communities.

The Inventory is within the framework of Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) and the sustainable management of forests, the conservation and enhancement of forest carbon stocks funded by the World Bank Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) and the Government of Norway.

“The NFI will enable Liberia identify the different types of tree species in its forests, “ Saah A. David Junior, National REDD+ Coordinator said during the launch. He added that the data collected in terms of forest degradation and deforestation will help determine its national forest reference emission level using in-country data which will be submitted to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

This launch follows the first one held in Voinjama, Lofa County, which then extended to 13 out of 15 counties in Liberia. It is led by the Government of Liberia through the Forestry Development Authority (FDA) with support from the World Bank, the Government of Norway and technical support from FAO.

“FAO continues to offer countries assistance in building capacities in monitoring, reporting and verification of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions and in developing robust national forest monitoring systems for REDD+ which simultaneously meet broader monitoring needs for sustainable development,” Mariatou Njie FAO Representative in Liberia said.

Njie presented certificates to professional enumerators from the Forest Training Institute, University of Liberia, and FDA who were trained on the NFI methodology. They will enumerate approximately 47 clusters in the two counties, with the technical supervision of the FAO forest expert.

The Superintendents of Bong and Grand Bassa counties stressed their full cooperation to the process.

Originally published in "UN Focus Liberia January — March 2019"

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