The Forestry Development Authority (FDA) and partners on Monday, March 3, 2025 celebrated World Wildlife Day at the compound of the Forestry Development Authority in Whein Town, Paynesville.
The program brought together FDA employees, university students reading forestry, officials from government ministries and agencies and partners from the forestry sector. This year’s World Wildlife Day was observed under the theme, “Wildlife Conservation Finance Investing in People and Planet”.
Speaking on behalf of FDA Managing Director, Rudolph Merab Sr., the Deputy Managing Director for Community, Conservation and Carbon, Nora Bowier, said this year’s event coincided with the 50th anniversary of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which came into force in 1975.
“The rich biodiversity of our planet is priceless. Conserving and sustaining it comes with a very huge cost. Every year billions of dollars are spent and more are needed, a gap that must be bridged to save wild species of Fauna and Flora,” she said.
Bowier told the gathering that the United Nations Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (2019) States that around one million animals and plant species are threatened—more than even before—in human history. The report, according to her, strongly indicates the urgent need for innovative finance to enhance wildlife conservation.
In this report, she said more than one million species have been estimated to be threatened with extinction and the growing threats to them. According to Bowier, “The current financial flows have proved insufficient for us to meet our national biodiversity targets, especially considering multiple competing national needs.”
Although some financial investment is done annually around the globe on biodiversity conservation, she pointed out that this amount still remains insignificant of the estimated US$824 billion needed each year to adequately protect and restore nature.
Bowier underscored that mobilizing financial resources for wildlife demands creating the enabling conditions to work collaboratively with multi-stakeholders, including government, in addressing the issue.
“Nationally, we have taken steps in protecting the remaining species by expanding our protected areas network and developing legal framework. However, we need to go beyond creating protected areas to address the huge financing gaps which continuously undermine our national efforts to empower communities and support effective management of species in and outside protected areas. Indeed, there are investment opportunities in the sector which should be tapped,” she said.
“Tourism is one of the pillars of the ‘ARREST Agenda’. Our ability to harness our rich wildlife resources provides an opportunity to create needed jobs, empower local and national economies through ecotourism. We continue to encourage the private sector to join us in filling in the financing gap as wildly practiced across the globe. Access to funds for conservation and wildlife funds will be a huge boost from the government and a step forward in reducing overdependence on donor funding. Besides, it will also serve as an impetus for the private sector to do more. Ladies and gentlemen, I wish to encourage all stakeholders to join us in finding solutions that benefit people and planet,” she observed.
Delivering the keynote address at the occasion, the Executive Director at the Forestry Training Institute (FTI), Joel Gamys, said World Wildlife Day 2025 serves as a platform for exchange and exploration of innovative financial solutions for wildlife conservation.
According to him, the country hosts approximately 43% of the remaining upper Guinea Forest, and is recognized as one of the biodiversity hotspots with enormous biodiversity that includes plants with high endemism, and Liberia has more than 2,000 flower plant spices, more than 600 bird species and 125 mammal species.
In conclusion Gamys further emphasized that people everywhere depend on wildlife and biodiversity-based resources to meet their needs. He stated that for people to enjoy the benefits and beauty that nature brings to humans and the planet, they have been working together to make sure ecosystems are able to thrive and plant and animal spices are able to exist for future generations.
“Let us celebrate wildlife and the importance of conservation work being done in Liberia and around the world,” he stated.
Giving the closing remark, the Technical Manager of Conservation of the FDA, Jerry Yonmah, said FDA has established five protected areas across the country, and is on the verge of establishing additional protected areas.
He indicated that there are no resources to manage the protected areas across the country, no infrastructure in the community, no stable livelihood in the community and no benefit from the forest to come to the community.
Yonmah also appealed to government, donors and international partners for more support toward the forest for the safety of the protected area for future use. He furthered emphasized that Burkinabe are intruding in the Krahn Grebo National Park in Grand Gedeh County, and if no action is taken they may likely take over the forest from community dwellers. He also urged the Ministry of Justice to enforce the law on the protection of forest to keep foreigners from entering into the forest and carrying out illegal activities.
It can be recalled that on December 20, 2013 at the 68th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) March 3 was declared United Nations World Wildlife Day (WWD).
This day holds significance as the day that the convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) was signed in 1973. The UNGA Resolution designated the CITES secretariat as the facilitator for the global observance of this special day for wildlife on the UN calendar. UN Wildlife Day has now become the global annual event dedicated to wildlife.
Agencies and partners that attended the occasion are as follow: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Ministry of Information Cultural Affairs and Tourism (MICAT), Ministry of Agriculture (MOA), Liberia One Health platform, representatives of diplomatic missions, U.S. Embassy, German Embassy, French Embassy, UK Embassy, European Union ( EU), French Embassy, UK Embassy, Swedish Embassy, UK Embassy, Swedish Embassy, Society for the Conservation of Nature of Liberia (SCNL), Wild Chimpanzee Foundation (WCF) amongst others.