Liberia environmental threats and opportunities assessment (ETOA) : final report

The mission"s Office of Economic Growth, which encompasses natural resource management and biodiversity activities, is crafting a new strategy to reflect the changing times. Pressures on Liberia"s forests, biodiversity, natural resources and ecosystems are increasing. At the same time there are growing opportunities for USAID to collaborate with other donors, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), government agencies that are acquiring new mandates and competencies, and the private sector. These factors led the mission to decide that an environmental threats and opportunities assessment (ETOA) was warranted. An ETOA goes beyond, yet incorporates, a 118-119 analysis. An ETOA describes the range of environmental impacts from human activities across the spectrum of sectors: green (forests, agricultural systems), brown (urban, industrial systems) and blue (marine and freshwater systems). This ETOA report is divided into three sections: (1) a State of the Environment report; (2) Actions Necessary and Planned to Conserve Tropical Forests and Biodiversity (Tropical Forests and Biodiversity Report - Foreign Assistance Act Sections 118/119); and (3) an Environmental Data Collection, Monitoring and Adaptive Management Plan. (Author abstract, modified)