Background and Overview
The PAPFor is a three years funded transboundary Project that is implemented between Sierra Leone and Liberia on the Gola landscape with three key Strategic Partners. On the side of Liberia, we have the Society for the Conservation of Nature in Liberia (SCNL) and on the side of Sierra Leone, we have the Conservation Society of Sierra Leone (CSSL) and Gola Rainforest Conservation Limited by Guarantee (GRCLG). The Project is implemented in forest-edge communities in ten chiefdoms in Kenema, Pujehun, and Kailahun Districts on both the Gola Rainforest National Park and the Kambui Hills Forest Reserve. Moving forward the project is building on the existing work and experience of the previously ended WABICC Project in the Gola Landscape and the JENSEN Project in Kambui Hills Forest Reserve.
Situation we are facing
In the Gola Forest context, communities are still living in poverty, dependent on forest products. Ensuring the livelihoods of community members is absolutely essential to achieve the goals of conservation and must be integrated with conservation activities. This project incorporates some support to improve livelihoods through eco-tourism and a sustainable logging pilot but by itself, this project does not ensure the livelihoods of community members and we assume that other interventions in the landscape, including ongoing and planned projects, both by the partner organizations and others, will have to fill this gap.
Our goals
To ensure that the Gola Landscape in Sierra Leone and Liberia is effectively managed by a cross-border partnership between Government, Civil-Society Organisations, and Communities.
Our approach
We work strategically with our partner (GRCLG) and government ministries and department as key collaborating bodies for the project implementation. The essence is to enhance effective participation in a more collaborative and transparent manner. We primarily target forest edge communities as key beneficiaries to the project. The process is completely participatory with a multi-stakeholder engagement methodology to ensure the desired outcomes.
Our activities
Our activities are primarily focused on engaging communities and chiefdom stakeholders as well as opinion leaders. In meetings and workshops we reach out together with government stakeholders to key challenges faced in conserving the landscapes and finding possible solutions to eliminate or drastically minimize the rate of deforestation activities in the forest. Multi facet and robust engagement processes and procedures are required to set the goal.
Key activities are:
- Participatory land use planning
- Participants are trained in establishing and managging community forestry
- Effective community participation in conservation by implementing a co-management approach mechanism in conserving the GRNP and KHFR
- Shared learning with other sister country projects and incorporate learning into the implementation
Outcomes we want to achieve
- Outcome 1: Land Use Planning
- Outcome 2: Protected Area Management
- Outcome 3: Community forestry
- Outcome 4: Shared learning with other projects of Sisters Countries
News about our work through PAPfor
Protection of the Common Good Saves the “Crying Hills” of Gaura in Kenema
By Abdul Kaprr Dumbuya, CSSL’s Communication Manager Madam Katta Sannoh is a 58-year-old woman and a peasant farmer who lives in Joru community, Gaura chiefdom
A Lead Poacher becomes a Forest Conservationist in Joru-Gaura
Abdul Borbor Musa is a 45-year-old farmer and lives in Joru community in Gaura chiefdom, Kenema district, eastern Sierra Leone. For a long time, Abdul
Video Documentaries “We for Nature. Nature for us.” – Part 2: The Gola Rainforest
The second part of our video documentary series “We for Nature. Nature for Us.” takes us to the Gola Rainforest at the border to Liberia.
Protecting the Kambui and Gola Forests in Sierra Leone
The Gola Rainforest National Park’s satellite community forest landscape, including the Kambui Hills Forest Reserve, which covers an area of nearly 700 square kilometres, is
Mother of Three Relinquishes Profitable Trade in Bush Meat to Help Save Forest
Hawa Puhunde, 29, is one of three women who are members of the Community Forest Management Committee (CFMC) in the town of Joru, headquarters of
Partnering with Local Communities to Preserve Forests in Sierra Leone
Located in Kenema district, Sierra Leone’s eastern province, the Gaura chiefdom covers an area of 398.0 square kilometres. A significant ecosystem of the chiefdom is
Learning Exchanges Strengthen Forest Conservation Initiatives Across Borders
A team from the Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe consisting of representatives of the forestry department and BirdLife International, embarked on a week-long
World Environment Day 2022: PAPFor tree planting
The World Environment Day was declared in 1972 by the United Nations, to make the need for a healthier Environment in our world an utmost
PAPFor Project Strengthens Staff Capacity in GIS Operations
The Conservation Society of Sierra Leone (CSSL) through the PAPFor project, funded by the EU, recently completed a four-day GIS training for staff of CSSL
Environmental Education Guides harmonized
The Conservation Society of Sierra Leone (CSSL) organised a two-day trans-boundary workshop at the Paloma Multi-purpose Hall in Kenema to review existing Environmental Education (EE)
Project Inception Meetings in the Greater Gola Landscape
The greater Gola and its satellite community forest landscape, including the Kambui Hills Forest Reserve (KHFR), continues to suffer unprecedented anthropogenic activities that have resulted
Emurana Sowa
project coordinator
More information
For more information or if you want to engage yourself in this project please contact our
National Coordinator for the project Emurana Sowa: emurana.sowa@cs-sl.org
