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Integrating Biodiversity and Health Messaging and Tackling Superstition with Communities in Liberia

Integrating Biodiversity and Health Messaging and Tackling Superstition with Communities in Liberia

Liberia is a diverse nation with a wide variety of tribal, cultural, and religious practices, where the majority of the population depend on the forest and its resources for their livelihood. Such interactions with the forest environment put people at risk of contracting zoonotic diseases that may spill over from animals. However, widely spread beliefs that traditionalists, witches, wizards, and even spirits have the ability to cast diseases upon people continue to hamper the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and control of many diseases. Under the PREDICT-2 project, Liberian One Health experts trained in health, conservation, and social sciences conducted biological and behavioral surveys, followed by community outreach that improved awareness and acceptance of zoonotic disease risk reduction practices. Using the ‘Living Safely with Bats’ book, this outreach also reinforced biodiversity protection and animal welfare. Its success was enabled by trust, awareness, and a strong evidence base.

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Climate Action using the Climate Vulnerability Index (CVI) and restoration efforts to address climate impacts at Songo Mnara and Kilwa Kisiwani

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