B . Conservation International – Environmental Peacebuilding Lesson in Liberia ( Lesson # 2630 )
Observation .
Community rights must be observed and respected for conservation of nature to be successful . Understanding and recognizing these rights are critical steps to understand the diverse perspectives of local stakeholders and to identify options for addressing conflicts over natural resources .
Discussion .
Conservation planning inherently involves conflict management , whether it is communities competing for access to grazing land and water or neighboring countries not complying with fishing quotas in a shared part of the sea . People , communities , and other stakeholder groups use natural resources in different ways and therefore may have incompatible needs , priorities , and interests – leading to disagreements and disputes .
At Conservation International ( CI ), we focus on the connections between nature ’ s well-being and our own , promoting the positive role that abundant natural resources and stable environmental conditions can play in promoting peace and cooperation . Our ultimate goal is to protect the most fundamental benefits that nature provides to all of us : our food , our fresh water , our livelihoods , and a stable climate . We work strategically with leading global experts , institutions , and communities to help them better understand and value the role that nature plays in creating peaceful and prosperous societies .
For the past several years , CI has worked in Liberia ’ s Nimba County to promote natural resource management and facilitate peacebuilding initiatives in this post-conflict setting . Natural resources played an important role in the violence and civil strife in Liberia , most recently from 1999-2003 ( Donovan et al ., 2014 ). CI ’ s work in the northern East Nimba Nature Reserve ( ENNR ) exemplifies the choices Liberia is facing as it selects from different development options . Nimba County is the most populous region in Liberia outside the capital and is characterized by a relatively high population density , land scarcity issues , and competition for resources . It is also among the priority areas for conservation in Africa . This juxtaposition of people and critical biodiversity positions local communities to be key stewards of vital ecosystems like water , soil , and air , as well as of biodiversity conservation .
When the nature reserve was created by the government , local communities were neither consulted in the drawing of the reserve boundaries nor involved in discussions about use of natural resources in the reserve . The majority of households in Nimba County are dependent on the forest for the preservation of their cultural traditions and for their livelihoods . Communities access the forest to collect non-timber forest products , hunt for bush meat , and clear land for agricultural use . The decision to set aside a significant portion of this resource as a protected area was highly contentious . Land tenure is especially complicated in this area due to overlapping land and natural resource rights in which people or communities may own land but the government retains ownership of subsurface minerals .
In order to address these challenges , CI partnered with the local government , ENNR staff , and the private sector to manage the conflict through the formation of a co-management committee , supported by the U . S . Agency for International Development ( USAID ). At the same time , CI and local partners implemented a strategy that leveraged CI ’ s Conservation Agreement ( CA ) model . The process of designing CAs with communities is highly participatory and facilitates a response to real threats and needs within the communities . Over time , nine communities entered into CAs where they agreed to recognize the ENNR
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