Mainstreaming Community in Building an Eco-friendly Environment; an Integrated Community Project to Protect Wetlands and Response to Climate Change. Liberia risks the effect of climate change if efforts are not taken to address issues such as Waste Management, environmental degradation and protection of wetlands in Grand Cape Mount County and other region around the country. Public attitude towards wetlands often demeans the value of wetlands and risk the destruction of bio-diversity of an entire eco-system. Wetlands constitute a substantial portion of Liberia land surface and in addition of providing habitat for many species, they help regulate flood, protect communities from violent storm and protect shoreline from erosion. Despite the valuable contribution wetlands make towards the protection of the environment and its contribution to help mitigate the impact of climate change on Liberia, it is very often misused by community inhabitants for waste disposal and human faeces. The constant abuse and misuse of wetlands causes serious environmental, social, and health problems to society which could have long lasting effects on future generation.

In order to address problems facing wetland along the Lake Piso, the participation and involvement of communities is crucial to the overall success and longterm sustainability of the environment. The national environmental policy of Liberia argues that the importance of wetlands is not fully understood, and that wetlands are threatened with degradation due to factors such as: pressure from fire wood gatherers and charcoal producers, uncontrolled solid and liquid wastes, unregulated settlements near wetlands, agriculture production and industrial expansion and constructions. Adequate awareness and sensitization of the importance of wetlands at the community level and participation of local community in protecting wetlands would change public attitude towards the use of wetlands and discourage negative habits that influence climate change.

This project will be implemented along the Lake Piso in Grand Cape Mount County. Lake Piso wetland is one of six proposed protected areas of Liberia. The major activities of the project will include planting of cashew nuts along the bank of the Lake, awareness and sensitization on the importance of wetlands and management of waste to the community and information sharing on climate change with local dwellers. An estimated one thousand five hundred cashew nuts seeding trees will be planted along the Lake. The project is intends to mitigate the effects of climate change on community dwellers through the management of wetlands.