Published: February 4, 2026
Monrovia — The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of Liberia has unveiled an ambitious package of policy and enforcement measures to strengthen protection of the country’s wetlands, including the rollout of a US$3.2 million Wetlands Protection Program focused on restoration, enforcement, and community participation.
The initiative was announced on Monday, February 2, 2026, by EPA Executive Director Dr. Emmanuel K. Urey Yarkpawolo during the celebration of World Wetlands Day at the Mesurado Wetland along the SKD Boulevard near the John Gbesay Resort in Paynesville, Montserrado County.
The new measures include the recruitment of young people as wetlands security officers, the removal of illegal structures, installation of physical barriers to prevent encroachment, restoration of degraded wetland ecosystems, establishment of protected mangrove parks, and the deployment of drones for monitoring and documentation.
Dr. Yarkpawolo said the EPA has already begun enforcing compliance through the removal of illegal structures, but acknowledged that widespread violations continue to pose significant challenges.
“The US$3.2 million Wetlands Protection Program will initially focus on the Mesurado and Marshall Wetlands, combining enforcement, restoration, and community engagement,” he explained.
According to him, the program will create employment opportunities for youth, rehabilitate damaged wetland areas, prevent further encroachment, and develop protected mangrove parks for conservation, education, and eco-tourism.
Delivering the keynote address, Dr. Yarkpawolo described wetlands as some of Liberia’s most valuable natural ecosystems, stressing that they must be treated as national assets. He noted that Liberia is richly endowed with rivers, swamps, floodplains, lagoons, and extensive mangrove systems.
He emphasized that mangroves play a critical role in protecting coastal communities from flooding, erosion, and sea-level rise, while also serving as major carbon sinks that help mitigate climate change. Wetlands, he added, support fisheries, agriculture, and livelihoods, making them central to national development.
“Wetlands are deeply connected to Liberia’s cultural heritage,” Dr. Yarkpawolo said, noting that generations of Liberians have relied on them for food, medicine, transportation, and spiritual practices. He warned that the destruction of wetlands also results in the loss of culture, history, and identity.
Addressing the threats confronting wetlands, the EPA Executive Director cited illegal sand mining, land reclamation, mangrove cutting, waste dumping, and poorly planned urban expansion as persistent drivers of degradation nationwide. He said these activities have already contributed to recurrent flooding, loss of fish breeding grounds, declining livelihoods, and weakened climate resilience.
This year’s World Wetlands Day was observed under the theme “Protecting Wetlands, Conserving Cultural Heritage,” and brought together government officials, development partners, traditional leaders, youth groups, community members, and the media.
The event formed part of Liberia’s nationwide observance following a proclamation by President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, Sr., declaring February 2, 2026, as World Wetlands Day to be observed as a working holiday.
World Wetlands Day is commemorated annually to raise public awareness about the importance of wetlands and advocate for their protection amid growing environmental threats. Liberia is a signatory to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, adopted on February 2, 1971, in Ramsar, Iran, with global observance beginning in 1997.
In his opening remarks, Mr. Levi Z. Piah, National Focal Point of the Ramsar Convention at the EPA, said the occasion serves as a vital platform for educating the public on the role wetlands play in national development. He noted that wetlands help reduce flooding, conserve biodiversity, support fisheries, and store carbon critical to Liberia’s climate response.
“Liberia’s commitment to the Ramsar Convention places a responsibility on all stakeholders to protect wetlands for the benefit of present and future generations,” Mr. Piah said.
Also speaking, Montserrado County District #5 Representative Hon. Prescilla Cooper commended the EPA and its partners for ongoing efforts to preserve wetlands, describing protection as essential to safeguarding flood-prone communities.
She disclosed plans for her office to support enforcement efforts by establishing offices near the Mesurado Wetlands for the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency (LDEA) and the Liberia National Police, aimed at strengthening monitoring and compliance.
The program also featured mangrove planting exercises and drone demonstrations to document the Mesurado Wetlands, reinforcing the EPA’s commitment to restoration, transparency, and science-based environmental management.
At the close of the event, the EPA and its partners reaffirmed their commitment to protecting Liberia’s wetlands, stressing that these ecosystems are not only environmental buffers but lifelines for communities, culture, and the national economy.
They emphasized that safeguarding wetlands today is essential to building a safer, more resilient, and sustainable Liberia for generations to come.
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