Strengthening Liberia’s response to illegal wildlife trade
Key Facts
FUNDING SCHEME Main
VALUE £400,938
WHERE Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea
Summary
This project will strengthen Liberia’s law enforcement capacity.
Liberia functions as a source, market and transit hub for Illegal Wildlife Trade (IWT), which threatens the viability of Liberia’s pangolin, parrot, African elephant, pygmy hippo and chimpanzee populations. Capacity to combat IWT is low, exacerbated by poor legislation and insufficient awareness. This project will strengthen Liberia’s law enforcement capacity by:
(1) improving coordination to combat national and transboundary IWT;
(2) strengthening intelligence gathering and enforcement capacity;
(3) increasing public awareness; and
(4) developing data management systems to guide responses.
Over 600 arrests and more than 500 convictions in wildlife crime since 2017, alongside a decline in ivory trafficking cases and an increase in elephant and rhino populations.
