ALM UNDP

Summary:

To reduce vulnerability and build resilience of local communities and socio-economic sectors to the additional threats of climate change in Liberia’s low-elevation coastal zones.

Coastal settlements and economies of Liberia are extremely vulnerable to the projected impacts of SLR. Besides the additional pressures resulting from climate changes, the major root-causes for the growing vulnerability of coastal areas include:

(i) uncontrolled and unplanned urbanization along the coast aggravated by domestic migrations resulting from the civil war;

(ii) unsustainable agricultural practices leading to clearing of mangroves and degradation of coastal vegetation systems;

(iii) sand mining; and

(iv) oil pollution and illegal solid and sewage wastes dumps.

These non-climate driven pressures result in reduction of natural buffering functions of coastal zones and dangerously limit their capacity to adapt to emerging threats. Combined with baseline stressors, climate change effects are likely to impede achievement of the MDGs and national aspirations in Liberia’s coastal zones, if no risks reduction measures are immediately taken. To tackle this challenge, the required solution in Liberia is to promote a national adaptation process that will generate a paradigm shift and support a climate-resilient coastal management regime. This new adaptive system will be characterized by:

(i) adapted systemic and institutional frameworks governing coastal development and ICZM;

(ii) adoption of coastal management practices more consistent with the threats from SLR;

(iii) increased information flows on climate change, including variability, between producers and users;

(iv) strengthened abilities to design and implement early adaptation actions and long-term resilience plans; and

(v) well managed and disseminated adaptation knowledge and lessons to stimulate a sector-wide change towards resilience.