Liberia’s Government is threatening to sign away thirty years of rights to more than one million hectares of forests to Blue Carbon, a private company based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Blue Carbon claim they will protect and restore these forests and will ‘harvest’ carbon credits to sell to major polluters to allow them to offset their own emissions.

They don’t mention the devastating effect it will have on the livelihoods of up to a million people.

The proposed project will extinguish community land ownership in the selected areas and violate peoples’ legal right to provide Free, Prior and Informed Consent for any developments on their land.

Blue Carbon’s draft contract also removes the chance for Liberia’s Government to use the forests to meet climate targets. Only Blue Carbon will have the right to decide whether the carbon credits will be sold, and at what price.

We call upon the Government of Liberia and Blue Carbon to halt these negotiations until there is clear evidence that the contract is in line with Liberian law, that affected communities have given their Free Prior and Informed Consent and that there is a credible, financially supported, plan for forest protection and restoration.

International statement signed by 16 non-government organisations.

See also statement by Liberia Independent Forest Monitoring Coordination Mechanism Members.