From Conflict to Communities: Forests in Liberia

Mar 10, 2017 | John C. Cannon
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Charles Taylor, who led the rebellion that began in 1989, funneled revenue from selling timber, as well as diamonds, iron ore, and rubber, into weapons purchases and building his own wealth. When he was elected president of Liberia in 1997, Taylor maneuvered so that eventually he had near-full control of Liberia’s resources, and he struck deals with companies willing to overlook an on-going civil war that killed 250,000 people and the human rights abuses of his regime.

But even after the end of the war, control of Liberia’s forests remained in the hands of the government, not in the communities that depend on them. The international community, aiming to buoy the devastated Liberian economy – the war had shaved off more than 89 percent of its gross domestic product by 1995 – took a similar tack.