Illegal Hunters, Miners to be Evicted from Sapo National Park

MONROVIA – Many of Liberia’s birds and other animal species, slated for conservation because they are considered ‘threatened’ (that is, in danger of disappearing), are increasingly being killed by hundreds of illegal hunters in the Sapo National Park, while the illegal mining population has increased to about 5,000 occupants, local residents say.

Elders, women and youths of Pyne’s Town District told the Daily Observer over the weekend that hundreds of divers kinds of animals die weekly due to illegal hunting, although some of the illegal hunters have been arrested by rangers of the Forestry Development Authority (FDA).

Research conducted has unearthed that the illegal hunting of the animals is carried out by illegal occupants of the park as well as people from neighboring towns in Sinoe, River Gee and Grand Gedeh Counties. These groups are reportedly killing the animals for food and for sale.

“We have seen all kinds of dried and fresh dead animals. The FDA people are doing well, but the government needs to do more,” one elder, identified as Oldma Doe, area asserted.

Sapo National Park, which has been described as a ‘regional centre of endemism’ and biodiversity by conservation experts, is known for hosting roughly 125 mammal species and 590 types of birds. It is also home to a number of threatened species such as the African golden cat, drill, Gola malimbe, Liberian mongoose, white-breasted guinea fowl, and white-necked rock fowl.

Other species such as the African civet, African fish eagle, African grey parrot, giant forest hog, great blue turaco, speckle-throated otter, water chevrotain, three species of pangolin, seven species of monkey (including the endangered Diana monkey), crocodiles, leopards, bee-eaters, egrets, hornbills, kingfishers, rollers and sunbirds live in the park.

Ranger Jallah Johnson of the FDA told the Daily Observer that the Park is currently being occupied by more than 5,000 illegal occupants, including foreign nationals from Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast, Guinea, Mali, Togo and other neighboring countries, with Liberians in majority.

Johnson divulged that the illegal occupants have divided the park into seven ‘countries’, namely the USA, South Africa, Egypt, Iraq, Afghanistan, Beirut and Creations. The park, he said is infested with more than 800 shot guns as well as automatic rifles.

Johnson confirmed the rampant killing of animals and that some arrests have been made. He blamed the killing on the illegal occupants and people from the neighboring towns. He told the Daily Observer that fresh and dried animals carcasses seized are reported to FDA authorities, while violators are turned over to the local head for prosecution. He pointed out, however, that practically no punishment is meted out to the culprits.

“Since 2009, we have seized four shot guns and will be turning them over to the appropriate authorities,” Johnson said.

“The population in the Park is increasing and the special species of plants and animals as well as gold and diamond are being snatched away.

“We are calling on the President to evict these illegal settlers before all our unique species are destroyed,” the FDA ranger made a passionate plea.

Technical Manager for Conservation at the FDA, Theo Freeman, stated that plans are underway for the removal of the illegal occupants at the park, adding that they will be put into effect latest March 2010.

Freeman disclosed that in compliance with the President’s mandate, about two Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL) battalions and the Emergency Response Unit (ERU) of the Liberia National Police (LNP) are expected to execute the eviction order.

“The military operation is expected to be carried out in the last week of March 2010 and therefore, we want to use this medium to again advise them (illegal occupants) to vacate the Park peacefully,” Freeman said.

Meanwhile, reports say a six-month grace period has been given the illegal occupants of the Park for them to relocate their equipment, furniture, families and themselves.

Sapo National Park encompasses parts of Sinoe, River Gee and Grand Gedeh Counties. It is the country’s largest protected rainforest and is the only national park. It also contains the second largest area of primary tropical rainforest in West Africa after Taï National Park in neighboring Côte d'Ivoire. Agriculture, construction, fishing, hunting, human settlement and logging are prohibited in the Park.

The park is located in the Upper Guinean forest ecosystem, a biodiversity hotspot that has “the highest mammal species diversity of any region in the world”, according to Conservation International, and in the Western Guinean lowland forests eco-region, according to the World Wide Fund for Nature’s eco-regional classification scheme.