Sierra Leone
is located on
the Atlantic
coast of West
Africa, and
lies at the
western end
of the upper
Guinean Forest
Block. It is
one of the most
severely deforested
of the countries
in the region.
At the beginning
of the century
about 70% of
SL was once
covered with
mature closed
forest but by
1976only
5% of the country
was covered
by mature/primary
forests.
Another 3.5%
was under secondary
forest.
Logging, mineral
exploitation
and slash-and-burn
agriculture
have all taken
a toll on the
country’s rich
biological life
(biodiversity).
With nearly
28 categories
of protected
areas in representative
ecosystems,
the area coverage
is still less
than 4% of the
land area, with
nearly all of
these protected
areas suffering
from inadequate
protection due
to lack of manpower,
technical support
and financial
resources. Sierra
Leone has also
gone through
a costly civil
unrest, with
severe impact
on its human
life and biodiversity.
The most important
remaining forest
areas are the
highlands of
the southern
and eastern
provinces, and
on the axial
mountain chain
of the Western
Area Forest
(WAF).
Western
Area Forest
Reserve
The
Western Area
Forest covers
the hills of
the Freetown
Peninsula and
is the westernmost
area of closed-canopy
forest remaining
in Sierra Leone.
It is separated
by about 160
km from the
nearest area
of closed canopy
forest, at Bo.
In
order to conserve
the forest,
soil and water
the first part
of the Western
Area Forest
Reserve was
designated in
1916. Subsequent
additions between
1916 and 1973
have brought
the total area
of protected
land to 17482
ha. Since the
Wildlife Conservation
Act 1972, the
area has been
designated a
non-hunting
forest reserve.
However, as
shown in the
figure
below, the area
is steadily
shrinking due
to increased
pressures
from human
encroachment.
The
whole area lies
under Western
Area administration
and responsibility
for the Forest
Reserve lies
with the Forestry
Division of
the Ministry
of Agriculture,
Natural Resources
and Forestry.
Land in Western
Area outside
the Forest Reserve
is privately
owned, in contrast
to the situation
elsewhere in
Sierra Leone
where most areas
outside reserves
are under chiefdom
control.
Vegetation
Most
of the Western
Area Forest
is classified
as Guineo-Congolian
rainforest of
the hygrophilous
coastal evergreen
type.
It has a closed
canopy at about
30 m or more
with emergent
trees rising
above this canopy.
The drier rocky
slopes and summits
support low
scrub forest.
The laterite
pans are covered
by natural grassland,
since the soil
there is too
poor to support
scrub or high
forest. As a
result of past
human activities
very little
of the original
rainforest remains
in an undisturbed
state.
The areas inland
of the Peninsula
are a mixture
of farmbush
and scattered
grassland with
small remnants
of Lophira savannah.
Neighbouring
coastal areas
support mangroves.
Tacugama Forest
Reserve was
covered with
primary and/or
mature forests
in the past.
However, most
of this area
is now covered
with secondary
forest and farm
bush, as a result
of he heavy
deforestation
by shifting
cultivation,
charcoal burning
and lumber extraction
for building.
More than 100
different species
of birds have
been identified
in and around
the Tacugama
Forest Reserve.
More than
2000 species
of plants occur
in Sierra Leone,
of which about
74 species and
one genus are
endemic.
Wildlife
Some 614 bird
species have been
recorded in SL
of which six are
threatened. The
white-breasted
guinea fowl Agelastes
meleagrides, which
was recently rediscovered
in SL and
is considered
as one of the
most threatened
birds in continental
Africa.
There are 15
species of primates
in the country
of which 11 are
forest species.
Six species of
the primates are
threatened. These
include western
Chimpanzee (Pantroglodytes
verus), the Black
and White Colobus
Monkey (Procolobus
polykomus), Red
Colobus Monkey
(Colobus badius
polykomos), Diana
Monkey (Cercopithecus
diana), , and
Olive Colobus
Monkey.
There are 18
species of antelopes
of which 9 species
are threatened
and 16 endangered.
These include
the Jentincks
(Cephalophus jentinki)
and Zebra duikers
(Cephalophus zebra).
Other threatened
species of mammals
include 1 species
of forest elephants
(Loxodonta africana
cyclotis) which
is believed to
have almost gone
extinct, West
African Manatee
(Trichechus senegalensis),
pigmy hippopotamus
(Hexaprotodon
liberiensis),
leopard (Pantera
pardus),an endemic
frog found in
the Tingi Hills
(Bufo cristiglands)
and an endemic
toad found in
the Western Area
Peninsula Forest
(Cardioglossus
aureolli). there
are 9 species
of fruit bats
and 3 species
of crocodiles
(Nile, Slender-snouted,
Dwarf). There
are 130 species
of fresh water
fish, 108 species
of butterflies
and 5 species
of marine turtles.
Relatively few
endemic invertebrates
are known to exist
and these include
two dragonfly
species, Argiagrion
leoninum and Allohizucha
campioni, the
rare giant swallow-tail
butterfly, Papilio
antimachus, which
reaches its western
limit in Sierra
Leone.
Most of the wildlife
populations have
been severely
depleted
outside of protected
areas as a result
of over-hunting
and habitat destruction.
Fauna of
the lowland rainforest
ecosystem of SL:
