project being; Sustainable Community-Based Management and conservation of Mangrove Ecosystem. In Liberia, it is estimated that the rate of mangrove deforestation could be as high as 65% since 1980 (FAO 2007). The greatest threat to mangroves in Liberia is land degradation due to urbanization, transportation infrastructure development, and mining and oil exploitation. A secondary cause related to habitat loss is the overuse and overexploitation of natural resources, specifically around urban areas, through the practices of hunting, firewood collection, charcoal production, human settlements and timber extraction. Finally, pollution of the water, air, and soil from chemicals released from agricultural pursuits, oil exploration, mining, and the effects of climate change also contribute to the loss of mangroves in Liberia. Biological diversity in Liberia has also declined significantly over the years with the substantial degradation of the country?s ecosystems leading to the rapid loss of

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many species. Increasingly, Liberia recognizes the importance of mangroves as valuable habitat for their most charismatic and endangered marine species. In addition, Lake Piso, Mesurado and Marshall Wetlands have all been declared Ramsar sites (Spalding et al. 2010). Progress has been made to include these systems in international and national policy. And as a result, a number of mangrove sites have been identified and targeted for inclusion in Liberia?s formal protected area network. Despite this, coastal management activities that include mangroves as part of Liberia?s environmental protection portfolio have not yet been fully realized.

In the midst of increasing interest in mangrove protection, degradation and over?exploitation of mangrove resources,The mangroves are still under serious threats .There is a great need a to advance a holistic, integrated approach to better identify and protect mangrove areas vital for biodiversity conservation and community well-being. This project, combining community-based research, policy recommendations, technical advice and practical tools coupled with small-scale interventions, will provide such an approach. This project will also provide an opportunity to enhance the protection of mangroves already in multiple-use around the project community situated in the proposed Mesurado wetland protected areas, provide decision support tools for incorporating additional highly threatened mangrove communities into new coastal protected areas, work with local communities and other stakeholders to educate them on the importance of mangroves, and provide guidance and recommendations on best practices for protecting mangroves, their biodiversity, and the ecosystem services that they provide.

This part of the coastal Montserrado in Liberia was selected for this project implementation not only for the highly significant mangrove coverage, but also for the conservation infrastructure, ease of access, and capacity already in place. Specifically, the mangroves and communities located in the Monrovia?s areas are being proposed as potential project sites. LiRWOCAs proposed project is intended to work directly with this community on conservation efforts, specifically marine species conservation as well as provide community based technical assistance to the Liberian government in support of legally establishing multiple-use Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and in developing new legislation aimed at giving communities the ability to declare their own lands as conservation areas.

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