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A new Rainforest National Park for Sierra Leone
The RPSB is entering a new partnership with the government of Sierra Leone and the Conservation Society of Sierra Leone to establish the Gola forest as a National Park. This exciting and innovative initiative will see the Partnership work together over the next five years to put in conservation programmes, infrastructure and community initiatives to ensure that the Gola forest will become only the second national park in the country and the country’s first rainforest national park. Involving the local communityThe Project partners will make huge efforts to recruit, train and support almost 100 local staff that will form the Protected area team. The team will ensure that the forest continues to be protected and the local communities remain involved in and benefit from the conservation efforts. The Partners have worked closely during the past two years to lay the groundwork for this project. In this time the staff were recruited and trained, forest boundaries cleared and strong relations and development agreements developed with local communities. Our programme at Gola has received critical support over the last two years from the Darwin Initiative of DEFRA and the Global Conservation Fund at Conservation International. 'The team will ensure that the forest continues to be protected and the local communities remain involved in and benefit from the conservation efforts.' This new phase of the Gola Programme will be financed by the European Union and the Fonds Français pour l’Environnement Mondial. Over £3m will be spent on recruiting and training the project team, continuing forest management, research and patrolling, supporting community development initiatives and developing the national park structures and basic tourism facilities. The Gola Forest Programme is considered a flagship protected area for Sierra Leone as the country enters a new era of stability and progress. It will help to reflect the country in the positive light it deserves after such a turbulent past. On the cuspThe government of Sierra Leone is on the cusp of embarking on a protected area programme for then entire country and will establish eight national parks from its mountains (the 2,000m Mount Loma), to its valleys and Swamps and to its most pristine and treasured coastal and marine environments. Last modified: 28 August 2007 |
Minsmere RSPB Reserve, general view of Boomacre Mere - David Tipling (rspb-images.com)
Hummingbird hawkmoth - Steve Round
Tree sparrow perched on branch in woodland - Sue Tranter (rspb-images.com, Ref: 1018091)