Protected National Park status for Sierra Leone forest
5th December 2011
Sierra Leone has conferred protected national park status on Gola Rainforest, in an attempt to defend the forest from logging and mining threats
In a bold and progressive environmental move, Sierra Leone has conferred protected national park status on Gola Rainforest in a bid to conserve its biodiversity, and protect it from threats posed by commercial logging and mining.
Located near the border with Liberia, the Gola Rainforest National Park covers over 71,000 hectares and now represents a safe haven for more than 300 species of bird, 500 kinds of butterfly, and 45 different mammals, including at least 300 chimpanzees.
The national park status means that the forest, which has attracted attention for its iron ore mining potential, will be protected from large and small-scale excavation projects, and commercial logging. Local people will also no longer be able to scavenge the forest for diamonds and gold under the new protected status.
As a country recovering from aggressive civil war, Sierra Leone is slowly making a name for itself in the tourism industry, but still receives fairly few visitors. Although the park only expects few visitors initially, it is hoped that it will gradually draw travellers wanting to explore the country's rugged landscape and abundant wildlife.
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