Liberia’s first National Household Forest Survey sheds new light on how communities depend on forests, and the need to scale up sustainable forest and land use.

Results from a recent National Household Forest Survey (NHFS) conducted across Liberia’s 15 counties reveal a high dependence on forest products both for direct con¬sumption and as a source of income. These forest products, ranging from fuelwood to medicinal plants, are providing households with an important social safety net during natural and economic shocks and crises, including the COVID-19 pandemic.

The NHFS, the first-of-its-kind survey in Liberia, was funded by the World Bank’s Forest Carbon Partnership Facility Conducted in 2018, the survey collected baseline socioeconomic data on households that live in or near forested areas and on the forest products, on which they rely for their welfare and livelihoods. The survey focused on communities living within 2.5 kilometers from the nearest forest, to get the most information on the full extent of the dependency of households and communities on forests.

These forest-proximate communities comprise about 47 per cent of the total Liberian households. In 2018, it was estimated that this group had an average annual household income of $783, which was substantially below the country’s average annual household income of $2,440. 

Key findings from the national survey include:

•    Forest products are important for household livelihoods, and much of the collection of forest products is for subsistence needs. 
•    Households clear forest lands to grow crops and plant trees. 
•    More men than women participate in community-level meetings, run for¬est-based businesses, and benefit from development programs, despite the fact that the opinions of  women in meetings are considered important by both men and women, and both men and women feel women should have a greater role. 
•    Participation in sustainable forest management programs (offered by the government and development partners) is still low, as was the receipt of external support such as      training, policy information, and free inputs. 

“The survey reflects the voice of the people and understanding how they use their forest it is a necessary first step in developing more strategic and effective approaches to sustainable land use,” says Mr. Saah A. David, Jr., National REDD+ Coordinator for Liberia.

The analytical results and findings from the survey will be critical to improving the effectiveness of policy reforms and investments, with the objective of improving livelihoods, incomes, poverty, gender disparities and sustainable forest management.

Key recommendations emerging from the findings will be supported through the Liberia Forest Sector Project, implemented by the Forest Development Authority of Liberia, with support from the World Bank and financing from the Government of Norway.