The gola forest is 75,000 hectares and is close to the liberian border. Government of sierra leone conservation society of sierra. Gola forest alone has 14 bird species of global conservation concern. The gola rainforest in sierra leone is home to 100,000 people who still live in extreme poverty 8 years after the brutal civil war ended, but change is beginning to happen. The inset map of gola shows the location of the 142 permanent forest plots recensused for. Once the gola national park has been established, the area will be linked to the gola rainforest national park in sierra leone, creating a unique transboundary peace park covering over. Birds of gola forest, sierra leone gola forest, sierra leone series icbp study report. There appears to be no legal definition of forest in sierra leone and it is sometimes unclear whether reports are referring to the forest as a land use or a land cover. It spans kenema, kailahun, and pujehun districts and is divided into three main blocks.
The plight of threatened species has been the primary focus of many projects including that of an international partnership for the conservation of the gola rainforest in sierra leone. Other articles where gola forest reserve is discussed. The park runs from tiwai island in the south up to. The gola forest is the largest tract of closed canopy, lowland rain forest in sierra leone. Department of forestry of the ministry of agriculture, forests and food security maffs of the. Report of the ueaicbp gola forest project bird survey, october 1988 to february 1989. Global land cover change constitutes the single major threat to ecological systems dale, 1997.
Originally i planned to visit tiwai island, but it was closed at that time. The vision of gola rainforest national park is to act as a catalyst for peace, prosperity and national pride in sierra leone. Location of kangari hills forest reserve this reserve is located in the kunike and bonkolenken chiefdoms in the tonkolili district, northern province and the valunia chiefdom in the bo district, southern province. It covers an area of nearly 700 square kilometres where more than 330 bird species have been recorded, 14 of which face global risk of extinction, including the endangered rufous fishingowl, scotopella ussheri, and the gola malimbe, malimbus ballmanni.
The birds of gola forest and tiwai island, sierra leone by erik klop 1,2, jeremy a. The vision of gola rainforest national park is to act as a catalyst for peace, prosperity and national pride in sierra leone, ensuring that its globally important habitats, biodiversity, environmental services and wider landscape are conserved and that neighbouring communities are active environmental stewards of the natural. During that time, much of what is now sierra leone and liberia was uninhabited, tropical rain forests. The conservation of the birds of gola forest, sierra leone. The gola rainforest is now a designated national park thanks to the governments peacebuilding drive, and sierra leoneans are hoping to develop a new sustainable economy. Protected areas in sierra leone today, the primary piece of legislation dealing with wildlife conservation is the wild life conservation act no. Impact of war on biodiversity conservation in the western area peninsula forest reserve, sierra. The birds of gola forest and tiwai island, sierra leone. The importance of these forests as a timber reserve has been recognised for over 100 years, with forest reserves first declared in 19261930 and extended in the. It was one of the most rewarding experience in sierra leone, we felt what it means deep rainforest. Until 2002, sierra leone lacked a forest management system due to a brutal civil war that resulted in tens of thousands of deaths and the displacement of more than 2 million people about onethird of the population. The importance of these forests as a timber reserve has been recognised for over 100 years, with forest reserves first declared in 19261930 and. The gola speak a nigercongo language, also called gola, which is closely related to the language of the kissi.
List of forestry reserves and protected areas forestry reserves. Fifteen years ago, sierra leones gola rainforest was at the heart of this west african nations brutal. Pdf on jan 1, 2008, erik klop and others published biodiversity of gola forest, sierra leone find, read and cite all the research you need on researchgate. Gola forest is the largest area of lowland forest c. Gola north is fairly hilly and rugged with most land lying over 300m asl, the highest point being 475 m. Human influence on sierra leonean forest mosaic landscapes. Gola east, west, and north, with several extensions. Then head south to kambama via poturu is this road wide enough for a. Pdf biodiversity of gola forest, sierra leone researchgate. The forest reserve at kangari hills is home to an important forest wildlife community, including forest and savanna dependent birds, chimpanzees and elephants. The gola forest is the largest remaining area of upper guinea tropical forest in sierra leone. Sierra leone food and agriculture organization of the united. The upgrade of the gola forest from national forest to national park, scheduled to be completed in 2014, will significantly increase its level of protection.
The last national forest inventory of sierra leone took place more than four decades ago in 1975. Kangari hills forest reserve visit sierra leone vsl travel. The map projection for project boundaries and all spatial analysis is. In total, between 1990 and 2010, sierra leone lost 12. Gola forest reserve forest, sierra leone britannica. The division of forestry recently reorganized at the national level into three units, the three cs to emphasis their management priorities. Forest reserves forestry division, government of sierra.
In the east and the north, the koinadugu and kono plateaus kkp ecoregion is an extension of the guinea highlands with several isolated mountains including the tingi hills, and the loma mountains where mount bintumani reaches 1,948 m. The gfp was established to protect and manage the biodiversity and ecological processes of the gola forest in partnership with local communities and other stakeholders, for the benefit of the. It shows a high variety of different forest habitats in different stages pristine to disturbed, and various succession stages and is home to many species, many of them being endemic to the upper guinean forests, and even to smaller areas in the region. Sierra leoness closed forests comprise both evergreen and semideciduous rainforest. Gola rainforest national park unesco world heritage centre. The rspb has been involved with gola forest since 1990, which is home to hundreds of bird species, chimpanzees and the worlds most important population of pygmy hippo. As more information is gathered on more cryptic or less studied groups, the number of species overall will increase along with the number or endemic andor threatened species. Timber is produced for the domestic and export markets and includes guarea cedrata, a cedarscented, pink, mahoganytype wood, and the lophira alata variety procera. Sierra leones forests contain 216 million metric tons of carbon in living forest biomass. Estimates of forest loss in the global forest resource assessment country reports are based on the estimated. Forests of hope site gola rainforest national park. The mogbai is the main river draining gola north and its catchment area lies at the centre of the reserve. Remnants of the extensive original forest cover survive in the gola forest reserves, in the southeastern hill country near the liberian border. For each reserve, you can download the corresponding public notices and gis demarcations data if available.
Between 1990 and 2010, sierra leone lost an average of 19,600 ha or 0. Currently 48 forest reserves and conservation areas cover about 4% of the land area of sierra leone. Sacred forests of sierra leone are vital components of the landscape appendix a. Gola rainforest national park kenema 2020 all you need. This paper makes use of maps from 1950, 1975, and 20002 to discuss. The project forms part of the rspbs tropical forest programme. The gola rainforest is the largest remnants of upper guinean tropical rainforest left in sierra leone. The licences were granted even though the area was a proposed national park.
Tak visited gola rainforest in october 20 with two friends. Conflictsensitive conservation in gola rainforest national park iisd. The distribution of plants and animals has been influenced by such factors as relief and soil types and, perhaps more important, by farming methods and civil strife. Freetown to gola forest reserve and tiwai island sierra. Name area ha public notice gis data port loko 1 port loko 2. Less than half of the known colonies were protected by the gola forest reserve. Saving the gola rainforest environment the guardian. This act identifies national park, strict nature reserve, game reserve, game sanctuary, controlled hunting area, and nonhunting forest reserve. Ecoregions and topography of sierra leone west africa.
Ap sierra leones president is officially declaring the gola rainforest a national park. Michael ruthenbury, article 25 team member article 25. The gola forest was depopulated by warfare around the turn of the century, and then abandoned. Africa rising is a weekly look at business, investment, and development trends. Gola national park, sierra leone social travel network. Sierra leone the president of sierra leone, ernest bai koroma, has today officially opened gola rainforest national park which becomes the countrys second national park located in the southeastern corner of sierra leone, on the border with liberia, the gola rainforest is the largest remnant of upper guinean tropical forest in the country. Secretariat and members which deal with tropical moist forests. The rspb has the opportunity to work in some of the most amazing natural places, not only in the uk but also internationally. The grnp and adjacent forests are sierra leones largest remaining area of upper guinea tropical forest, a forest type recognised as a global biodiversity hotspot myers et al 2000. We used data from repeated inventories in ten forest reserves in the. Pdf the birds of gola forest and tiwai island, sierra leone. The forestry act of 1988 is the primary basis for law that guides forest management in.
The gola forest reserves cover 750 km2 and contain the largest block of lowland rain forest in sierra leone. There appears to be no legal definition of forest in sierra leone. For more information on gola forest region in sierra leone visit. The grnp is sierra leones largest tract of rainforest, and covers 71,070 hectares in the east of the country.
Sierra leones economy stems from its rich natural resources but is still recovering from a civil war that destroyed most institutions before ending in the early 2000s. Gola forest buildings, article 25 africa project, photos, news, sierra leone design, property. Sierra leone finally achieved independence from great britain in 1961, and sir milton margai was elected the countrys first prime minister after sir miltons unexpected death in 1964, the parliament appointed his halfbrother, sir albert margai as prime minister, and the country shifted to an increasingly authoritarian era of ruling. The contribution that sierra leone is making is bold and progressive. Part of the same tract of rainforest as tiwai island, the gola rainforest national park is home to an abundance of creatures great and small, from rare, intricately patterned butterflies to lost, lumbering forest elephants having a hard time locating the rest of their species as in most parts of west africa, their numbers are critically low. These changes result from burning lavorel et al, 2007, agricultural expansion angelsen and kaimowitz, 1999 and other activities triggered by socioeconomic wants.
Gola rainforest national park grnp in sierra leone is under such threat from rice farmers. Located on the western coast of africa, sierra leone contains four distinct regions. The countrys vegetation is highly complex and characterized by a matrix of patches of forest, woodland, savannas, and cropland. A map of the project area with the 3 blocks named, the project zone. Once upon a time, up to 70% of sierra leone was covered in forest.
This constitutes the list of forest reserves as enacted by government. International council for bird preservation and university of east anglia. Forests of hope site gola rainforest national park, sierra leone. A further 33% of the country is covered in secondary growth forests, and 11% of the total land area is now under some form of protection. Human influence on sierra leonean forest mosaic landscapes 1 abstract landscapes are built from elementsthe spatial components that make it up. Gola and kissi migrations into western liberia began as early as the 0s, when they left their homes in the ivory coast and beyond. The project area covers a 110 km stretch of land within seven gola forest chiefdoms.
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