Harnessing Forests as Pathways to Prosperity in Liberia : Policy Note
Liberia is the most forested country in West Africa, with more than two thirds of its land surface covered by forest. In 2019, 47.5 percent of the Liberian households (HHs) lived in proximity to and were significantly dependent on the country’s for...
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| Format: | Policy Note |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
World Bank, Washington, DC
2021
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| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/184771616750748881/Harnessing-Forests-as-Pathways-to-Prosperity-in-Liberia-Policy-Note http://hdl.handle.net/10986/35343 |
| Summary: | Liberia is the most forested country in
West Africa, with more than two thirds of its land surface
covered by forest. In 2019, 47.5 percent of the Liberian
households (HHs) lived in proximity to and were
significantly dependent on the country’s forests. Results
from the recent sample-based National Household Forest
Survey (NHFS 2019) conducted in these forest-proximate areas
reveal a high dependence on forest products both for direct
consumption and as a source of income. These forest
products, ranging from fuelwood to medicinal plants, also
provide HHs with an important social safety net during
natural and economic shocks and crises, such as the
Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. At the same time, Liberia
is one of the world’s poorest countries. The NHFS found that
the average income for these forest proximate HHs which is
substantially below the country’s average annual HH income.
This points to the need to maximize the potential of forests
for poverty reduction in a sustainable manner. Using the
data collected from the recent NHFS, this policy note
unpacks the HH and forest interactions, for forest-proximate
HHs. The note: (1) identifies the sources within forestry
and other sectors from which HHs derive their subsistence
and income needs; (2) looks at the income generating
potential of various activities that a HH participates in
and its labor time allocation; and (3) highlights the gender
aspects of poverty, particularly as they relate to the
forestry sector. |
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