• The impact of Gola Rainforest in Sierra Leone (part 2): a focus on threatened species
    My pre-dawn walk through Gola Rainforest in Sierra Leone was rewarded with a perfect view of the elusive White-necked Picathartes sitting on its nest. I say ‘elusive’ as this was how Sir David Attenborough...
  • The impact of Gola Rainforest in Sierra Leone (part 1): a focus on chocolate
    “When Gola came here, I didn’t want it because the forest was my livelihood. Now, I want Gola to stay because it taught us cocoa farming.” [Quote from a member of cocoa production cooperative.] During...
  • What can Gola Rainforest chocolate do for nature and people?
    The first phase of fieldwork has just been completed on an exciting interdisciplinary project in Sierra Leone. Social scientist Dr Natasha Constant and ecologist Dr Fiona Sanderson report back. The...
  • Forests of hope: a spotlight on Gola
    The RSPB works in some amazing places in the UK. But as the world’s climate negotiators are meeting in Paris to try to reach agreement on how to tackle climate change, it is timely to also remember the...
  • Protecting the Gola Forest
    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...