CLDMCs recounts positive impacts of land rights act six years of implementation

Participants at the two CLDMCs Assembly held in Yarpah Town, Rivercess County

The people of Southeastern Liberia, comprising Grand Gedeh, RiverGee, Sinoe, RiverCess, Grand Kru, and Maryland counties, have long faced challenges regarding unclear boundaries and ancestral land rights.

This situation persisted until the passage of the 2018 Land Rights Act (LRA), which transformed land ownership and provided legal recognition for customary land rights.

Before the LRA, Liberia's land tenure system was shaped by ancient and colonial practices, creating a division between the land rights of indigenous communities and settlers. Land ownership was divided between statutory (government-registered) and customary (community-recognized) rights. Indigenous communities often relied on customary tenure systems, which were not formally recognized, leading to overlapping claims, land disputes, and conflicts. Political and ethnic tensions, coupled with companies exploiting land for agriculture, mining, and logging without consulting local communities, exacerbated these issues.

The passage of the LRA marked a new era for land governance in Liberia. The Act recognized customary land rights and established a framework that protects the rights of local communities. Under the LRA, customary communities now have legal security over their lands, managed through Community Land Development and Management Committees (CLDMCs), which serve as governance bodies for land and natural resources.

Article 36 of the LRA gives authority to communities to act collectively in establishing CLDMCs, which are tasked with overseeing land management. Since 2016, organizations like the Sustainable Development Institute (SDI), civil society organizations, and the Liberia Land Authority (LLA) have been working with customary land-owning communities in southeastern Liberia to document their lands through the Customary Land Formalization (CLF) process. This process includes steps such as self-identification, governance formation, boundary harmonization, and land conflict resolution.

In an effort to strengthen the governance of customary lands, SDI, the Civil Society Organizations Working Group on Land Rights Reform (CSOWGLRR), LLA, and local authorities have established the Southeast Regional Network of the Community Land Development and Management Committee (SRNCLDMC). This network aims to advocate for inclusive governance of customary lands, mobilize resources for capacity building, and lobby for equitable sharing of natural resources and land benefits.

During a two-day gathering in Yarpah Town, RiverCess County, from September 16-17, 2024, CLDMC leaders shared success stories of driving positive changes within their communities. They emphasized the importance of collaboration with local authorities, traditional leaders, and community members in advancing sustainable land management.

Madam Decontee Z. Flahn, Chairperson of the CLDMC in Grand Gedeh County, expressed gratitude to SDI for guiding communities through the self-identification process. She urged fellow CLDMC leaders to be respectful to their elders and ensure transparency by reporting back to the communities that appointed them.

Other leaders, like Nathaniel S. Toquie from RiverGee County, shared how they successfully prevented a gold exploration company from operating without consulting the community, reinforcing the authority of the CLDMC in land management decisions.

Relevance B.C. Zeon from Grand Gedeh County and Sylvester M.Y. Howard from Maryland County also spoke about their efforts to protect their communities’ lands from unauthorized sales and exploitation.

The Coordinator of the Community Land Protection Program at SDI, Mr. Daniel B. Wehyee, praised the CLDMCs for their dedication and the transformative impact of grassroots engagement. He called on the national government and partners to support the replication of this land governance model across Liberia.

The newly elected Chairperson of the SRNCLDMC expressed gratitude to the Rights and Resource Initiative (RRI) for their support in establishing the network, which is the first of its kind in Liberia, providing a unified voice for community land governance in the country.