Sierra Leone opens Rainforest Peace Park

A cross-nations peace park, to protect one of the largest remaining blocks of intact forest in the Upper Guinea Area of West Africa was opened yesterday (Monday) by the presidents of Sierra Leone and Liberia. The preservation area unites the Gola Forest Reserve in Sierra Leone and the Lofa and Foya forest reserves in Liberia with additional forest to provide corridors for the movement of wildlife between them.

Sierra Leone’s president Ernest Bai Koroma of Sierra Leone said: "The long-term benefits of the conservation of the Gola Forests far outweigh the short-term benefits of extraction and destruction. As I have said since I was elected in 2007, the Gola Forests will become a National Park in Sierra Leone and mining will not be permitted.” President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf of Liberia said: “This launch of the Sierra Leone - Liberia Transboundary Peace Park Project will serve as a symbol of our renewed commitment to peace, stability and biodiversity conservation in this region."

The Upper Guinea forest ecosystem, which extends from Guinea to Togo, is one of the world’s most biodiversity-rich ecosystems. However, centuries of human activities has led to the loss of more than 70% of the overall forest cover, which was initially estimated at 420,000 square kilometres. The remaining forest is highly fragmented, restricting habitats to isolated patches and threatening the unique flora and fauna.

The forest is also home to more than 50 mammal species, such as Forest Elephant Pygmy Hippo and 10 species of primate, including the threatened Chimpanzee. Conservationist Dr Hazell Shokellu Thompson, who works in the area said: “The establishment of the Trans-boundary Peace Park is a tribute to the success of the governments of both countries in putting their recent history of civil war behind them.

“In the run up to the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen later this year, they have shown their wholehearted commitment to taking the measures needed to reduce the threats of climate change and increase collaboration in the conservation of their Nation’s natural resources.” The forests provide very important ecological services locally, nationally and regionally, including wood, medicinal plants, water, protection against soil erosion, and good farming conditions.

By Hayley Jarvis for SOS Children