EcoHealth Alliance and Partners Launch USAID Conservation Works
Editor’s note, September 19, 2022: The title of the program formerly know as the Conservation Works Activity (CWA) has been updated to Conservation Works (CW). Please read the following with this in mind.
HARBEL, LIBERIA – July 14, 2022 – EcoHealth Alliance is pleased to announce the launch of Liberia’s Conservation Works Activity (CWA). Funded by the United States Agency for International Development, the five-year initiative employs One Health strategies to conserve biodiversity and promote sustainable economic growth throughout Liberia.
The CWA is implemented by EcoHealth Alliance, in partnership with Fauna & Flora International, Liberia Chimpanzee Rescue & Protection, Partners in Development, and Solimar International. The team will work in close collaboration with Liberia’s Forestry Development Authority (FDA). Operating in the Proposed Protected Areas of Grand Kru-River Gee, Cestos-Senkwehn, and Krahn-Bassa, as well as Sapo National Park, Marshall Wetlands and East Nimba Nature Reserve, CWA will support the establishment and expansion of new Protected and Conserved Areas (PCAs).
The activity will improve the livelihoods of communities in and around PCAs and promote economic growth via conservation-compatible investment and ecotourism. Hon. C. Mike Doryen, Managing Director of Liberia’s FDA, believes that “the CWA will allow Liberians to demonstrate the value of a forest, standing, rather than cut down”.
Additionally, the launch coincides with World Chimpanzee Day to call attention to the importance of conserving Liberia’s critically endangered western chimpanzees and other protected wildlife. At the event, Dr. Jim Desmond, CWA Chief of Party, emphasized that CWA is a critical step toward better protection of chimpanzees, as Liberia is one of the species’ last remaining strongholds.
“Liberia’s forest resources are its greatest treasure…the CWA will support Liberia in becoming a world leader in reversing the impacts of climate change” expressed H.E. Michael McCarthy, The United States Ambassador to Liberia.
The program was officially launched by Hon. Dr. Jim Tornolah, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and attended by key stakeholders including H.E. Neil Bradley, British Ambassador to Liberia, Hon. Jeanine Milly Cooper, Minister of Agriculture, and Atty. J. Adams Manobah, Chairman of the Liberia Land Authority. Guests enjoyed cultural performances and heard from the Superintendent of Grand Kru County, the Honorable Doris Ylatun, who spoke on behalf of communities across CWA’s target landscapes.
This marks a crucial step in Liberia’s commitment to conservation and economic prosperity, helping shape a better future for generations to come.
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID)
The U.S. Agency for International Development administers the US foreign assistance program, providing economic and humanitarian assistance in more than 80 countries worldwide – https://www.usaid.gov/
Forestry Development Authority of Liberia https://www.fda.gov.lr/
Liberia Chimpanzee Rescue & Protection https://www.liberiachimpanzeerescue.org/
Partners in Development https://padev.org/
Fauna & Flora International https://www.fauna-flora.org/
Solimar International https://www.solimarinternational.com/
About EcoHealth Alliance:
EcoHealth Alliance is an international environmental health nonprofit dedicated to protecting wildlife and the public from emerging infectious diseases. We work with governments, scientists, and policymakers around the world to make critical changes for pandemic prediction and prevention. Our dedicated scientists conduct field research and develop tools to safeguard the health of the planet, people, and wildlife.
Press contact: Majelia Ampadu, ampadu@ecohealthalliance.org.