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Authorities from River Gee and Maryland Counties, representatives of the Forestry Development Authority, the Liberian Ministries of Agriculture and Home Affairs, civil society stakeholders and SIPH/CRC teams came together on 13 April, united by a shared conviction: the Sarbo forest deserves to be protected, and the communities living there deserve to benefit from it.

This conviction led to the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the conservation of 2,123 hectares of forest known as the Sarbo Nature Reserve, located within SIPH’s concession in Liberia (CRC). A major carbon sink and rich in biodiversity waiting to be explored, it is also the lifeblood of an entire community.

The project is based on a clearly stated founding principle: forest conservation is not the enemy of development. It can be its very foundation. To achieve this, SIPH has adopted a pioneering governance model: a Community–Business–Government partnership in which the residents of Sarbo act as co-managers of the reserve, actively participating in monitoring, border protection and the transfer of knowledge.

Tangible benefits for communities

To put words into action, the signing of the MoU was accompanied, on the very same day, by the inauguration of four hand-operated water pumps and 20 latrines — essential infrastructure whose immediate aim is to improve the daily lives of families. The next phase of the project includes agroforestry programmes, support for women’s and youth entrepreneurship through the establishment of income-generating projects, and the creation of eco-clubs in Sarbo’s schools.

For SIPH and the SIFCA Group, the Sarbo Reserve is much more than a protected area: it is a symbol of a long-term commitment to the communities that share their land with the company.

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