Newsletter_Winter_2021-2022_single-page=FINAL | Page 8

GOOD NEWS : LIBERIA

A NETWORK OF PROTECTION

LIBERIA

In Liberia ’ s Upper Guinea Forest , you can hear the calls of the Endangered Chimpanzee and Endangered Upper Guinea Red Colobus — but these rare species are slowly disappearing as their critical habitat is destroyed .
While the Upper Guinea Forest extends across six countries , almost half is found in Liberia , and decades of deforestation and unsustainable resource use has left only an estimated 30 % remaining , making its protection a top priority for Rainforest Trust .
In 2016 , we joined our local partner , Society for the Conservation of Nature of Liberia , on an ambitious journey to save more than 1 million acres of the highly threatened region , storing carbon and safeguarding its rich biodiversity .
Our first success was the creation of the Gola National Forest Park , and now we have established two brandnew Community Forests totalling approximately 80,000 acres . The local communities in the area are among the most vulnerable in the country and supporting them to manage the forests that they have lived in and relied on allows them to preserve their land while also developing sustainable land use practices and alternative livelihoods .
The protected areas are linked , bolstering the country ’ s protected area network . With more work ongoing , this
7

298,870

Acres Protected

1,017,333

Acres to be Protected
multi-year project solidifies our commitment to safeguard this tropical forest .
This landscape is home to endemic and charismatic species — including Critically Endangered African Forest Elephants , Endangered Pygmy Hippopotamus and Endangered Timneh Parrots — that will be protected in perpetuity .
The positive impact of this project will be felt far beyond Liberia . These acres will store more than 37 million metric tons of carbon in our planet , nearly the equivalent of the annual emissions of all the cars in New York , New Jersey and Connecticut combined .
TOP : ENDANGERED PYGMY HIPPOPOTAMUS BY DANNY YE / SHUTTERSTOCK