Wonegizi-Wologizi Initiative for Sustainable Ecosystems (WISE)

In West Africa, Liberia is an important biodiversity hotspot, home to 43% of the forests of Upper Guinea, essential for endemic fauna and flora. However, these forests are threatened by agriculture, poaching and mining, which have lost 20% of their coverage since the 2000s. 

To counter this trend, Liberia aims to expand its protected areas to 1.5 million hectares and reduce its deforestation rate by 50% by 2030[1], while addressing development challenges, including poverty and food insecurity. The WIZE project supports this sustainable development by preserving and enhancing natural resources and community rights.

The specific objectives are:

• Sustainably conserve proposed protected areas while maintaining forest connectivity;
• Improve the livelihoods of local communities;
• Strengthen forest governance in Liberia.

The project is structured around 3 main components: 

• Component 1: Protection and management of forest conservation areas,
• Component 2: Sustainable agriculture and income-generating activities,
• Component 3: Institutional support and capacity building.

The project aims to preserve biodiversity within the transboundary WWZ forest landscape (130,000 ha) by promoting inclusive governance of landscapes and resources and improving the living conditions of local populations (34,000 people). It will support the establishment and management of two protected areas, as well as the preservation and restoration of key ecological corridors. Support in the periphery will directly benefit 42 communities and nearly 1,500 smallholder farms.             

To ensure the sustainability of these efforts, the project will actively promote carbon credit mechanisms (REDD+), while also engaging national authorities in shaping long-term conservation financing strategies tailored to Liberia’s context.