Report: Regional Consultative Meetings on Land - Land Commission

• A tribal certificate is perceived to be a document
given to indicate that a specified piece of
land has been given by the elders and chiefs in
return for a token;
• A process of acquiring land that is cumbersome
and bureaucratic;
• A process that is expensive as surveyors, land
commissioners, superintendents and other officials
demand high fees;
• People are not sure for how long a tribal certificate
is valid;
• Getting a presidential signature on a deed may
take considerable time, even exceeding the
term of a president;
• A land deed is considered to be a document
or paper with signatures of individuals from
whom the land is purchased. A deed should
confer ownership of the land and provide security
of tenure but this has been compromised
by people selling the same piece of land to
more than one person.
Role of Local Communities in Managing Land,
Forests and Mines
Women, like men, want participation in:
• The management of natural resources, including
forest resources, with percentage of benefits
accruing to their communities;
• Decisions that allow substantial contributions
to community development initiatives
by concessions for upgraded social services,
infrastructure development (roads, bridges,
hospitals, schools);
• Proposed management committees that will
represent communities on issues that relate to
social contracts for share of benefits from forest
exploitation and other natural resources;
• Monitoring environmental abuses of forests
by logging companies, e.g. pollution of water
and land degradation;
• The activities of civil society organizations
and other local structures in managing the forest
and natural resources should build on their
knowledge;
• The exploitation of forests did not benefit
them in the past. There should be new measures
that will contribute to long term devel-
42 Governance Commisssion - Liberia
opment.
The following are women’s recommendations for
strengthening the role of local communities in
managing land, forests, and mines:
• Women want a clear definition of public land
since their communities have occupied and
used land for several hundred years;
• Women want representation on management
committees that will decide on the distribution
and use of benefits and revenue from forests
and mines;
• Management should be done at the local level,
not just in Monrovia;
• FDA and the government should ensure that
revenues and benefits are paid
• Communities should participate in decision
making processes leading to the granting of
concessions;
• Concessions, including logging, should agree
to employ residents from areas of operation
and employ qualified Liberians in managerial
positions;
• Women want access to information regarding
concession agreements;
• Logging companies should take measures to
prevent environmental problems such as forest
loss, land degradation, and pollution of
rivers. Some commented that shifting cultivation
is not as destructive to the environment as
extensive logging.
Land records include deeds, letter of administration,
tribal certificates, deeds, and lease agreements.
Presently they are not kept in one place.
• Records should be consolidated in one place
and handled by professionals;
• Records should be secured to prevent handling
by unscrupulous personnel;
• All documents relating land be written with
copies kept by parties to the agreement. If a
party can not read or write that party finds a
person sufficiently literate to represent her/his
interest;
• Land records should be available at the local
level.