{"id":5521,"date":"2024-10-29T18:46:32","date_gmt":"2024-10-29T18:46:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stage.thedaylight.org\/wp68\/?p=5521"},"modified":"2024-11-01T12:49:20","modified_gmt":"2024-11-01T12:49:20","slug":"illegal-miners-encroach-on-wonegizi-forest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stage.thedaylight.org\/wp68\/2024\/10\/29\/illegal-miners-encroach-on-wonegizi-forest\/","title":{"rendered":"Illegal Miners Encroach on Wologizi Forest"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Top: Illicit miners are ravaging the Wologizi Proposed Protected Area, according to a ranger and a community leader. The DayLight\/Esau J. Farr<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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By Varney Kamara<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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GANTA, Nimba County \u2013 Illicit miners have encroached on the Wologizi Proposed Protected Area in Lofa County,  according to a ranger and a community leader. Illegal miners have overrun this critical habitat, smuggling gold and diamonds into neighboring Guinea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe are just starting to tackle these issues. We are working hard to minimize them,\u201d said Momo Ricks, an FDA ranger stationed there. \u201cIllegal activities like these harm the environment.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ricks revealed this information at a recent community forestry meeting in Ganta, Nimba County, where regional leaders discussed sustainable ways for communities to benefit from forest resources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ricks’ comments were supported by Anthony Sumo, the community land and development committee (CLDMC) chairman of Zogoleemai Township, where portions of Wologizi and Wonegizi Proposed Protected Areas are located. Sumo added that locals were making efforts to combat illegal mining.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe are actively fighting against these activities, especially in areas close to the river,\u201d Sumo said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 28,894-hectare forest is a part of the Wonegizi-Wologizi Ziama (WWZ)<\/a> cross-border landscape, linking Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone. It hosts endangered species like chimpanzees and pygmy hippopotamus. It is one of Liberia’s protected areas, covering over 1.14 million hectares of humid rainforests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite legal safeguards, unlawful practices<\/a> continue in the vast forest. Community resistance, weak law enforcement, and limited deterrents have worsened illegal activities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“The community has requested more forest guards, better salaries, and stronger partnership support, but resources have yet to materialize,” said Sumo. \u201cFor conservation to succeed, we need consistent backing. Without it, we risk losing the forest and its benefits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe are focused on resisting illegal activities, like logging while promoting sustainable practices that support our community,\u201d Sumo added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The news of illegal mining supports a 2020 report<\/a> by Fauna & Flora International, which found habitat loss from unregulated activities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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CORRECTION: This version of the story corrects a previous version, which mistook Wonegizi for Wologizi. It also corrects Anthony Sumo’s title as the community land development and management committee chairman of the Zogoleemai Township, not the Wonegizi Proposed Protected Area.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The story was a production of the Community of Forest and Environmental Journalists (CoFEJ).<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Top: Illicit miners are ravaging the Wologizi Proposed Protected Area, according to a ranger and a community leader. The DayLight\/Esau J. Farr By Varney Kamara GANTA, Nimba County \u2013 Illicit miners have encroached on the Wologizi Proposed Protected Area in Lofa County,  according to a ranger and a community leader. 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