FOREST RESOURCE MANAGEMENT IN SIERRA LEONE

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FOREST RESOURCE MANAGEMENT IN SIERRA LEONE

• A PRESENTATION AT THE 23RD INTERNATIONAL SEMINAR
  ON FOREST ADMINISTRATION AND MANAGEMENT
  
• FLAGSTAFF, ARIZONA, USA
• OCTOBER 1 19, 2007
• BY
• GILBERT KOKER
• TRAINEE PROTECTED AREA MANAGER
• GOLA FOREST PROGRAMME

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In this presentation the following will be
discussed

• A. Country Profile
• B. Forest types and extent
• C. Forest Reserves
• D. Causes of Environmental Degradation in Sierra
  Leone
  
• E. Gola Forest Programme
• F. Conclusion

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COUNTRY LOCATION
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(No Transcript)
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Country Profile

• Land Area 7,165,000 Hectares
• Population 5.6 million
• Population growth rate 2.6 per cent
• Population density 58 persons/sq. km.

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Forest Types and Extent

• Forest Type Area (Ha of
  National Area
  
• Closed High Forest
  365,200
  5.1
  
• Secondary Forest
  261,000
  3.6
  
• Forest Re-growth
  3,774,400
  52.7
  
• Savanna Woodland 622,600
  8.7
  
• Mixed Tree Savanna 732,600
  10.2
  
• Lophira Tree Savanna 264,600
  3.7
  
• Coastal Woodland
  50,000
  0.7
  
• Mangrove Forest
  171,600
  2.4
  
• Fringing Swamp Forest 28,800
  0.4
  
• Raphia Swamp Forest 35,500
  0.5
  
• Plantation Forest
  9,800
  0.13
  
• Total 6,316,100
  88.1

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Plantation Crops

• Rubber
• Oil Palm
• Coffee
• Cocoa
• Fuel wood
• Timber trees

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Forest Reserves

• Most of the remaining closed forests in Sierra
  Leone are in the government gazetted forest
  reserves.
  
• These were established to serve either for
  protection or timber production functions.
  
• Compensations were given to communities for
  giving up the management of the land
  incorporated into the reserves.
  
• There are 29 reserves with a total area of 2850
  sq km( 3.9 per cent of the country).
  
• Most important forests area remaining are
• Highlands of the southern and eastern provinces
  and the axial mountain chain of the Freetown
  peninsula .
  
• The low land Gola forests reserves on the eastern
  border with Liberia.

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Forests under management

• 
  Hectares
  
• Gazetted Forest Reserves
  285,229
  
• Protected Forests on Community land 33,023
• Game Reserves
  76,500
  
• Forest Plantation
  9,800
  
• Total
  404,552

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Main causes of environmental degradation

• Traditional farming practice of shifting
  cultivation have over the years left vast
  expanses of land deforested in much of the
  country.
• Overwhelming dependence of the population on fuel
  wood as the main source of energy for cooking.
  
• In the northern region where 60 of the cattle
  and small ruminant population is concentrated,
  over 8,300 sq km of land has been left bare due
  to overgrazing.
• Bush fires affect about 200,000 hectares of
  savannah woodlands annually.
  
• Mining activities, particularly in the eastern
  and southern regions, have also left vast areas
  deforested and degraded.
  

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New management approach

• In addition to giving out logging concessions the
  country is also moving towards conservation
  concession.
  
• There is plan to establish 8 protected areas
  representing 8 major habitat zones by 2014.
  
• The first step was to upgrade one of our forest
  reserves, the Gola forest, into a National Park
  through the Gola Forest Programme which started
  in 2005.
• The Gola Forest Programme is implemented by three
  main partners 1. Government of Sierra Leone,
  represented by the Forestry Department. 2. The
  Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB),
  a UK based NGO and 3. The Conservation Society
  for the Protection of Birds (CSSL), a local NGO.
  The communities around the Gola Forest Reserve
  comprising seven chiefdoms make up a fourth
  partner

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Gola Programme Objective

• The main objective is to secure the 75,000 ha
  Gola Forest Reserve for biodiversity conservation
  and community development as a new model of
  sustainable natural resource management in Sierra
  Leone.
• This is achieved initially by securing a
  conservation concession this will entail the
  government foregoing logging rights in exchange
  for a permanent income stream that will allow the
  area to be managed for conservation.

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B. Status of the Gola forest in Sierra Leone.

• Best remaining example of humid forest, that once
  covered 50 of Sierra Leone
  
• One of the last large tracts of Upper Guinea
  (West African) forests
  
• Important for the survival of many endangered
  species of wildlife
  
• Provides environmental services (water, climate,
  soil)
  
• Area of the Gola forests 748 sq .Km and is
  divided into 3 forest blocks as follows
  
• Area Reserves Gazetted AREA (ha)
  District
  
• Gola North 1930
  45,800 Kailahum, Kenema
  
• Gola East 1926
  22,800 Pujehum, Kenema
  
• Gola West 1926
  6,200 Pujehum, Kenema
  
• Chiefdoms
• Nomo, Tunkia, Gaura, Koya Malema, Barri and
  Makpele

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Scene of Gola Forest
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C. Conservation importance of Gola Forests

• Gola Forests has been noted in the review of
  protected areas systems in Africa as one of the
  12 forests most urgently in need of conservation
  today for threatened birds. ( Mackinon and
  Mackinon - 1986).
• Collar and Stuart(1988) described the Gola
  Forests as one of the seven most important areas
  within the upper Guinea block, and rank as the
  21st most important forests in Africa.
• The forests host 274 bird species of which 14 are
  threatened with extinction.
  
• Has at least one endemic tree species.
• A number of rare and endangered mammals including
  Zebra Duiker( Cephalophus zebra) Leopard
  (Panthera pardus) , Forest elephant( Loxodonta
  africana cyclotis and Chimpanzee ( Pan
  troglodytes)

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Some important Species of the Gola Forests
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D. Present threats to Gola Forests

• Major threats to this forests include the
  following
  
• Over hunting and bush meat trade
• Farming within the reserves.
• Logging , especially the illegal power saw
  operations
  
• Mining.
• Human settlements

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Threats to Gola Forests
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Conservation Initiative to protect Gola Forests
Reserves

• A new initiative, perhaps first in Africa, is
  the Gola Forests Conservation Concession Project(
  GFCCP) or in short Gola Forest Programme.
  
• Logging concession logging companies pay to
  extract timber for a specified period
  
• Conservation concession conservation-minded
  donors provide ongoing
  
• payments (to Government and communities)
  in return for not logging the
  
• forest
• Partners of the Project.
• Is a collaborative venture of two conservation
  organizations and the Government of Sierra Leone.
  These are
  
• Royal Society for the Protection of Birds ,U. K
  (RSPB)
  
• -one of the largest conservation group in U.K
• 2. Conservation Society of Sierra Leone( CSSL)
• - a local conservation group in Sierra Leone )
• 3. Forestry Division, ( FD) Ministry of Agric.,
  Food Security and Forestry.

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Conservation Initiative to protect Gola Forests
Reserves
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VISION OF THE PROJECT

• To conserve the integrity of the forest in
  perpetuity.
  
• To ensure that local people living around the
  Gola Forests will have enhanced livelihoods as a
  result of income generating schemes which remove
  the need for unsustainable use of the Gola
  Forests.

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OBJECTIVES OF THE PROJECT

• Sensitization and awareness raising on
  sustainable use issues among stakeholders.
  
• Improving the protection and status of the Gola
  Forests( by upgrading it to a National Park)
  which ensures the conservation of the Forests in
  perpetuity.
• Revising and updating the interim management
  plan.
  
• Implementing the management plan for the Gola
  Forests and its surrounding.
  
• Building the capacity of the relevant national
  and local stakeholders to implement the
  management plan
  
• Putting in place a community development
  programme( including capacity building), to
  ensure alternative and sustainable income and
  sustainable use of the Gola Forests resources by
  the seven chiefdoms in the Gola forests area.
• Put in place funding mechanism for long-term
  conservation concession

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ACTIVITIES UP TO DATE

• 1. Conservation concession agreement
• Minister has approved conservation concession in
  principle
  
• Intensive community contacts are increasing
  understanding and support
  
• Data collection on biodiversity has started
  baseline survey in planning
  

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ACTIVITIES UP TO DATE
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ACTIVITIES UP TO DATE

• 2. Capacity building
• Logistic support to Forestry Division is enabling
  intensive field work
  
• On-the-job training of CSSL and Forestry staff
• Some specific training needs identified

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ACTIVITIES UP TO DATE

• 3. Support to communities
• Mechanism in place to support community
  development projects and Paramount Chiefs.
  
• Community projects started in 7 chiefdoms
• Livelihood activities initiated beekeeping, oil
  palm plantation establishment, plantain and
  banana multiplication techniques
  

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ACTIVITIES UP TO DATE

• 4. Neutralize immediate threats
• Minister has ordered moratorium on logging in
  Gola Reserves
  
• DFO has ordered loggers to register and have
  logging areas inspected
  
• Forestry staff are patrolling reserve
• Chiefdom authorities starting to deal with
  illegal activities within the Gola forest
  
• Marking of forest boundary underway

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ACTIVITIES UP TO DATE
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ACTIVITIES UP TO DATE

• 5. Education for conservation
• Intensive face-to-face contacts with communities
• Radio used effectively for information and
  announcements
  
• Target groups for education have been identified

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ACTIVITIES UP TO DATE

• 6. Long-term funding mechanism
• Contacts with World Bank and other potential
  donors initiated
  

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POSITIVE ASPECTS

• Strong support from all levels of Government
• Community support is growing
• Partners working together effectively
• The forest is in relatively good condition
• Project strategy appears to be sound

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POSITIVE ASPECTS
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Conclusion

• We are on our way to creating Sierra Leones
  first major Protected Area in the rain forest
  zone
  
• Most of the threatened species of the Upper
  Guinea forest will have a safe home in Sierra
  Leone
  
• An innovative approach to conservation is being
  demonstrated, with benefits to all stakeholders
  
• There is an urgent need to conserve the Gola
  Forests reserves because of their unique
  biodiversity and many services they provide to
  people both locally and internationally.