Liberia, March 25 -- As Liberia grapples with a deforestation rate of over 2% per annum, stakeholders in the forestry sector converged in Monrovia and reviewed a groundbreaking pilot project aimed at balancing forest conservation with the economic survival of rural communities.

The national workshop, held on Tuesday in Monrovia, under the theme: "Keeping the Forest Standing... Options for Sustainable Forest Management in Liberia," brought together government officials, international partners and community leaders to evaluate the Payment for Stewardship (PfS) initiative.

Opening the workshop, Jackson S. Nobeh, Team Leader and Principal Founder of the Partners in Development (PADEV), provided a sobering overview of the state of Liberia's ...