The Government of Liberia has mandated that 30 percent of the nation's forest be set aside for conservation as a way of protecting them from deforestation. The decision is government's own measure taken to protect Liberia's forest and wildlife for future generations and as a defensive measure against the challenge of climate change”,  FDA officials said over the week end.

At the signing of the Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) on December 2, 2013, The European Union (EU) and the Government of Liberia (GOL)  signed a 6 million Euro agreement for the maintenance of protected areas in the Liberian forest.

He said reforestation is high on the agenda of GOL, and that the FDA's door was opened to people who wanted to plant trees and carry on their planting for future harvesting.

An FDA spokesman stressed that before any certificate can be signed for a company to operate in the Liberian forest, it would have to be clarified through a technical system that indicates whether the certificate to be signed has met every legal requirement. He said the system would also serve as form of security, whereby those who may want to bye-pass the process will be restricted.

He said Liberia will benefit immensely from the Voluntary Partnership between Liberia and EU because every timber would be fully certificated, thereby providing evidence to display its legality on the market. He noted that without the certificate no exported timber would be sold on the world market.

The spokesman said this system makes knowing whether timber has passed through the legal means to enter the world market more transparent, as opposed to the Private Use Permit which he described as a disaster .He however clarified that the EU's role in assisting Liberia to maintain its forest through the VPA is not meant to create a monopoly for the EU.

The VPA between Liberia and EU is aimed at properly managing the Liberian natural rain forest for the benefit of its people and generations to come.

The signing ceremony was attended by EU Ambassador to Liberia, Attilio Pacific, and representative of Liberian Timber Association, Agriculture Minister Dr. Florence Chennoweth, officials of EPA, GAC  and UNMIL.

The VPA is an international agreement launched in 2009 between the EU and Liberian government to improve the governance of the forestry sector and ensure that the timber imported into the EU has complied with Liberian legal requirements.