Proceedings of the First International Workshop on Community Forestry in Liberia, Monrovia 12-15 December 2005 : towards a shared vision and action frame for community forestry in Liberia

ommunity forestry in Liberia is an ambiguous and contested concept, at the same time there is an emerging consensus that communities need to be empowered to start managing forest resources in their own (long term) interest. This 1st International workshop on Community Forestry in Liberia brought together a cross-section of the major stakeholders in the forest and community development sectors to develop a shared vision of community forestry in Liberia and chart out how to support its successful development. In particular, the workshop sought to reach a shared understanding on:•what community forestry should mean in Liberia;•what enabling conditions need to be created;• how these conditions can be created;• what process need to be supported if locally adapted, viable community forests are to emerge.Principal assumptions of the workshop were that community empowerment must be the motor for community development, and for empowerment to take place, communities must have access to and sustainable use of all forms of assets available to them, including natural assets locked up in their forests as well as in agroforests and fields.CIFOR and ICRAF, together with partners in Liberia (FDA, LFI), and financial support from USAID, conducted some studies to understand what the opportunities and options for community forestry in Liberia might be. Findings from these studies and experiences from a wide section of the Liberian community stakeholders were presented at the workshop. Most participants at the workshop came from a broad cross-section of stakeholders. Particular attention was given to ensuring adequate representation from the following groups and agencies:

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