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Liberia : Indicators

2009 > Allocation of permits / user rights

Allocation of permits / user rights

Is the permit allocation process transparent? Allocation refers to all types of permit, including those for logging, conservation, ecotourism, conversion, environmental services, carbon, non-timber forest products, etc.

The forestry law and regulations, and the Public Procurement and Concession Act require transparent processes for allocating forest use permits. All the major permits require competitive bidding and the selected areas are subject to a public consultation prior to confirmation.

In addition to logging permits, are there any permits for conservation activities, environmental services (e.g. water conservation, or carbon storage), or eco-tourism services provided by forests?  Read the report...

Do permits exist for all uses / services?

To date only logging permits have been allocated. Read more...
Is there a 'pool' of forest, owned by the state or others, for which permits or user-rights are potentially available?  Read the report...

Is information on any forest land unallocated or not under any type of concession published?

The FDA estimates that more than 3million hectares of forest are available for commercial use. Only a third of this amount has been allocated. Read more...
The first step in the allocation of permits is to decide where: Are there clear, documented, and understood steps for deciding to allocate permits, for example when to allocate which parts of the state forest to logging, mining, carbon, ecotourism or other concessions?  Read the report...

Is it clear how the decision to start a round of permit allocation is made?

The process for allocating logging permit is clear. For ecotourism, carbon concessions and others the process is less clear. Read more...
At the time an area of forest is identified for allocation to any sort of concessionaire, are stakeholders (other than the forest owner) consulted, for example on any conditions to be attached to the permit?  Read the report...

Is there a stakeholder consultation process prior to permit allocation?

Regulation 101 – 07: Public Participation lays out a clear process for public consultation for validating suitability of a particular land use proposed by FDA. Read more...
When an area of forest is identified for allocation to any sort of concessionaire, is this publicly advertised so that the opportunity for new permits / user rights is open to anyone?  Read the report...

Are the areas assigned for each round of permit allocation advertised?

The forestry law and regulations specifically require this for logging concessions. The Public Procurement and Concessions Act also provide for opened and competitive bidding processes for most public procurement activities. Read more...
Prior to the final allocation of any area of state forest to logging, mining, carbon, ecotourism or other concessions are there "due diligence" checks on the eligibility, suitability, or (technical and/or financial) capability of applicants, and is this analysis made public?  Read the report...

Is there transparent independent verification (due diligence) of the eligibility of any applicants for forest permits?

The allocation process, as prescribed by law, is transparent and allows for series of checks and balances. The FDA receives sealed bids, which are then opened in public and presented to a Bid Evaluation Panel (BEP). The BEP evaluates the bid and a due diligence is conducted by a body independent of the BEP. The results of the BEP and due diligence are forwarded to an Inter-Ministerial Committee on Concession who then awards contracts based on the recommendations of the BEP and the findings of the due diligence. The FDA signs the contract after negotiation with the IMCC. The contract goes to the Legislature for ratification and then to the President for signature. Read more...
Is the final decision to allocate any permit made in way which allows citizens to assure themselves that the correct process has been followed? – is the process documented and published?  Read the report...

Is the final permit allocation decision-making process transparent?

The Legislature conducts public hearings before ratifying contracts. Votes are then taken to determine whether or not the contract should be ratified. Read more...
Have there been recent attempts to make improvements to the permit allocation system? Have there been recent changes to the system to accommodate ‘newer’ forms of permits such as conservation, carbon storage, or ecotourism? If so please give details. Were these successful?  Read the report...

Has the permit allocation system improved?

The current system was designed in 2006 and was first implemented in 2008. It is still in its testing phase and no changes have been made to it. Read more...
Are all contracts / concession agreements / permits in the public domain? If so, which law or regulation specifies that they should be? Are they entirely in the public domain or are certain ‘commercially confidential’ clauses hidden?  Read the report...

Are the final permit / contract documents made public?

All logging contracts once ratified by the Legislature become laws and therefore become public documents. The LEITI Act specifically requires all contracts related to the extractive industries, including forestry be made public. The National Forestry Reform Law also specifically provides that these contracts are public documents. Read more...
Where an EIA or similar is a requirement for any concession, is it published? Is there any public consultation during the EIA, or any public presentation of the conclusions and recommendations?  Read the report...

Are any environmental / social impact assessments for forest operations available to the public?

The National Forestry Reform Law requires EIA for forestry contracts. The Environmental Protection and Management Law require all EIAs to begin with a public consultation referred to as a scoping process to “ensure public participation early in the EIA process”. The Law also mandates public hearings during the EIA process and requires the Environmental Protection Agency to facilitate public access to all EIA related documents and to take duly take public comments into account. Read more...
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