Siakor, 36, has just been awarded the Goldman Award for his role in ending illegal logging in Liberia. The small country is on the 'chin' of Africa, and its forests--which cover twice the area of Vermont--are some of the largest and most complete of West Africa. Liberian president Taylor, who was forced into exile in 2003, had secret contracts with logging companies. In return, he received weapons shipments, which helped him keep hold of power through violence.
Siakor and a few others braved the hazardous environment of civil war to gather enough evidence of illegal logging to report it to the UN. Following the report (which didn't go over well with Taylor, you can imagine), the UN set sanctions to cut off Liberia's lumber trade. Since then, the new president of Liberia has supported the sanctions by cancelling all logging contracts.
It's a rather impressive example of one person can do. It shows, as Siakor said, "Small people can actually make a change."
Not that things are all comfortable now. Liberia's government is clamoring for a return of its forest-funded income, and China is putting pressure on the UN to open the country back up to lumber trade. Hopefully, however, Siakor and the others who helped him will continue to prevail against market forces.
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Maybe everything will go good for liberia
Maybe everything will go good for liberia