| Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone is a small country on the
coast of West Africa nestled amongst Guinea, Liberia and the
Atlantic Ocean. Known for its beautiful beaches, Sierra Leone
also hosts forested mountians, dry lands and mangroves among
other ecosystems.
Considered part of a biodiversity
hotspot diverse wildlife and plant species can be found
throughout the country. Endangered species in Sierra Leone
include the Diana and red colobus monkies, chimpanzee, green
turtle, African wild dog, and pygmy hippopotamus.
In addition to biological resources, abundent
mineral resources are also found with Sierra Leone's borders.
Diamonds, rutile (titanium dioxide) and bauxite are actively
mined. Gold, platinum and petrolum exists as well.
While small, Sierra Leone's population
is ever expanding. An estimated 55 percent* of the citizens
are youth (35 years old or younger). The high percentage of
youth is important given the fragile political situtation
as the dreams and actions of young people are one of the keys
to a nation's future.
A civil war ravaged Sierra Leone during
the nineties leaving behind a humanatarian disaster and many
development problems. Lack of clean water, a functioning transportation
network and inadequate agriculture systems are just a few
of the problems faced by this country.
Considered the second poorest country in
the world* combined with a high reliance on natural resouces
for both basic services (fuel wood, food, water regulation,
etc.) and economic growth (mining), Sierra Leone must incorporate
environmental management into its development and reconstruction
plans.
Pertinant threats to the environment in
Sierra Leone include:
- rapid population growth pressuring
the environment through overharvesting of timber and slash-and-burn
agriculture resulting in deforestation and soil exhaustion;
- depletion of natural resources like
uncontrolled diamond mining during the civil war and current
alluvial diamond mining; and
- overfishing and uncontrolled bush meat
hunting.
In Sierra Leone, EFA works through the
Environmental Forum for Action
(ENFORAC) at the national policy level and in the field. The
organization also manages two field sites – a nature
preserve within the Western Area Peninsula Forest close to
the capital, Freetown and
Tiwai Island Wildlife Sanctuary situated on the Moa River
in southeastern Sierra Leone.
*Encyclopedia of Sierra Leone, Development
Assistance Coordination Office, 2006
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