NEWS
February-ongoing: Second fieldwork in Liberia
From February onwards, Rodrigue has been conducting a research project in the forests adjacent to the Proposed Protected Area Foya (PPA Foya) in Liberia. The project focuses on sustainable wild meat harvesting. Its aim is to better understand which animal species are targeted for wild meat, to assess wildlife presence in the forest using camera traps and passive acoustic sensors, to document hunting methods through semi‑structured interviews, and to estimate hunting home ranges by tracking movements with handheld wrist GPS devices.
The research is conducted in collaboration with the Forestry Development Authority (FDA) of Liberia, the Society for the Conservation of Nature of Liberia (SCNL), and local community members. As part of this collaboration, two rangers from the FDA, six eco‑guards, and 20 active hunters from three villages were trained in the use of camera traps, passive acoustic sensors (PAS), and handheld wrist GPS devices. This capacity‑building effort aligns with one of the Afrifor project goals, which aims to strengthen the skills of public-sector partners and community members in ecological monitoring.
Rodrigue believes that when communities become aware of their influence on natural resource extraction, meaningful change can occur.
October-November 2025: Second fieldwork in Liberia
Second trip to Liberia: This time Lea Huber and Aida Cuni-Sanchez started with a 2-day workshop in Monrovia on “Carbon Estimates and Finance Mechanisms” for conservation practitioners and policy makers. The workshop was organised in collaboration with the University of Liberia and the CO-WAM project (Manchester Metropolitan University).
After that, the team travelled to the proposed Kwa National Park to set up 32 permanent forest plots to help quantify aboveground and soil carbon stocks, in partnership with Wild Chimpanzee Foundation. This is the first botanical inventory of the proposed park, and it is of key importance for its future existence and management.
Moreover, a student from University of Liberia assisted with 240 household surveys in eight villages around the proposed park gathering insights on medicinal or food plants used from the forests, observed changes and people’s priorities and suggestions regarding how to best preserve the forests.
September 2025: NorDev Conference
Last week, the team presented preliminary work from Liberia at the 8th Joint Nordic Development Research conference (NorDev) held at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU). Lea Huber gave a presentation on the topic “Wild Edible Plants in Liberian Markets: Species, Economic Importance, and Vendor Perspectives”. Rodrigue Batumike gave a presentation entitled “Changes in hunting patterns over time: insights from Gola, Liberia”.
A great opportunity to present the AFRIFOR project to a wider community!
June 2025: Ongoing Research in Liberia
The research continued in Liberia, led by Liberian students involved in the AFRIFOR project. While Tenneh J.B Dunor completed a market survey on wild edible plants traded in major urban centres of the country, Isaac G. Blama collected the camera traps left in Tonglay community forests and sent the images for identification. Dr. Moses Sainge (Manchester Metropolitan University) helped identify the plant samples collected which will soon be transferred to the national herbarium.
It is nice to see that the team of collaborators is growing!
March-May 2025: First Fieldwork in Liberia
In collaboration with the University of Liberia, SCNL and RSPB, the team travelled to Gola Forest National Park to set up 32 permanent forest plots to help quantify aboveground and soil carbon stocks. The team also studied wildlife presence and wild meat hunting using camera traps and interviews with hunters in two community forests adjacent to the park. A student from University of Liberia assisted with 240 household surveys in ten villages around the park, while one student from the Forestry Training Institute (FTI) helped with the camera trap surveys and hunter interviews, and two students from FTI were part of the forest plot team.
The conservation NGOs working in the area are considering carbon finance mechanisms, therefore, it is of key importance that carbon stocks are accurately quantified, and forest use by local communities well documented.
