Many years ago, I was interviewed for a job sat between a rather luxuriant potted plant and an inflatable gorilla. I didn’t get the job. Had I done I would have been on my way to Sierra Leone to work in the Gola Forest. The timing of the appointment couldn’t have been worse – it coincided with a period of civil unrest in the country, and a time when the Gola project was put on hold. Our long involvement with Gola has, sadly, seen several periods where work has been brought to a halt – but the partnership never gave up. And now, at long last, news of real progress.
White-necked picathartes - one of the amazing birds protected in the Gola Forest (Picture credit Guy Shorrock/RSPBImages)
Alex Hipkiss from our International Directorate has been closely involved in Gola and here’s his description of the great news that Gola will now be protected as a National Park.
It has been quite a journey!
We have been on the edges of our seats for the past 6 months as the formal process to convert the Gola Forests into a National Park rumbled through the spider's web of formalities, dead ends and wrong turns that is the Sierra Leone legal system.
And then, in late February, the Government of Sierra Leone announced the creation of the Gola Rainforest National Park. Situated in the south east of Sierra Leone, covering 71,070 hectares and measuring 100km from end to end, the park becomes just the second national park in the country.
A long road
Our journey began in 1989, when we met with staff from the Government Forestry Division and the Conservation Society of Sierra Leone to discuss how we could enter into a partnership to protect the forest.Agreement was reached in 1990 and this new partnership worked together to develop a new management plan, maintain the forest boundaries and run an environmental education programme.Efforts were cut short in 1996 when civil conflict engulfed the project area. When the conflict ended in 2002 we re-evaluated our partnership.For the first time, we clearly expressed the ambition for Gola to become a National Park, protecting its biodiversity and climatic benefits. We also aimed to ensure that local communities benefitted both from development support and employment on the project.
Successes
We are proud to say that the National Park now employs over 100 Sierra Leoneans, protecting the valuable habitats and species, and has delivered over 40 livelihood support projects.Intensive wildlife surveys have shown the forest to be in relatively good health with 330 bird species, of which 14 are threatened. Amongst some excellent discoveries are a new species of frog and three new butterfly species.
The future
We fully intend to continue in this vein and hope that the National Park announcement can help change the perception of Sierra Leone - that it is again becoming a great place to visit and invest in.Many challenges lay ahead of us: pressure to mine the land and hunting are examples of the real and present threats we face.
Our efforts to secure long term financing will need to be doubled to ensure that the project can be sustained into the future. There is very little money in government coffers for environmental protection and we need to explore innovative ways to attract more funding.
National Park tourism is a long way off, yet the forest received over 100 visitors last year, up from zero in the previous year. Two international bird tours visit each year and we hope this can continue to grow and grow.
Celebratory year
This year sees both the 50th anniversary of independence in Sierra Leone and the International Year of Forests. This new national park is a fitting achievement to celebrate both these events!Congratulations Sierra Leone!
The Gola Forest Programme is implemented with the fincial support of the European Union, Fonds Française pour l'Environnement Mondial the Global Conservation Fund, and the DEFRA Darwin Initiative. For more info on the park please click here.
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