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Gola Rainforest National Park
Sierra Leone
Date of Submission: 01/06/2012
Criteria: (ix)(x)
Category: Natural
Submitted by:
Office of the Minister of Tourism and Cultural Affairs
State, Province or Region:
Eastern Province, Kenema and Kailahun Districts and Southern Province, Pujuhun District
Coordinates: N07 39 00 W10 54 00
Ref.: 5747
Description
The Gola Forest is the largest remaining area of Upper Guinea tropical forest in Sierra Leone. It shows a high variety
of different forest habitats in different stages (pristine to disturbed, and various succession stages) and is home to
many species, many of them being endemic to the Upper Guinean forests, and even to smaller areas in the region.
Location & Setting: Located in the south-eastern edge of Sierra Leone, on the border with Liberia, the Gola Forest is
the largest remnant of the Upper Guinea tropical moist lowland high evergreen forest in Sierra Leone with a total area
of 71,070 ha. The site is located between latitude 07°18’22” N and 07°51’00” N, and between longitude 11°21’13” W
to 10°37’40” W. The National Park comprises three distinct forested blocks, including Gola North, Gola Central and
Gola South. The Gola Forest lies mostly in the Eastern Region (province) of Sierra Leone, but extends marginally into
the Southern (Bo) region. It lies in three districts, principally Kenema district but extends into Kailahun district in the
North and Pujehun District in the South. Seven chiefdoms are associated with the Gola Forest. These can claim land
ownership of the Gola Forest, yet the legislative and administrative authority lies with the Forestry Division of MAFF
and more directly with the offices of the local District Forestry Officer in each of the three districts.
Ecology: The Gola Forest lies within the wet tropical climatic zone and the average rainfall is estimated at 2,800mm
(White 1972). The predominant features of Gola include extensive rolling hills, but also areas of swampy terrain. Gola
South, as far as the Mahoi River, is typified by relatively small trees with a dense understory and frequent swamps
along the river valleys. The Gola Forest provides important local water supplies to villages around the forest and the
forest reserves are an important catchment for the Moro, Mahoi, Mano and Moa rivers. The total number of plant
species recorded is 970 species with 599 forest species endemic to the Upper Guinea forests. Forty nine species of
larger mammals are known from the Gola Forest. The most important mammals of conservation value and
significance are pygmy hippopotamus, African forest elephant, zebra duiker chimpanzee, Diana monkey and western
red colobus. All but the African elephant and chimpanzee are endemic to the Upper Guinea forests making Gola
Forest exceptionally important for their conservation. Approximately 313 species of birds have been recorded with at
least eighteen species of global conservation concern. To date 43 species of amphibians have been identified in the
NP and six are listed as Near threatened or Vulnerable.
Justification of Outstanding Universal Value
The Gola Rainforest National Park lies within the Upper Guinea Forest ecoregion and comprises the largest area of
intact rainforest remaining in Sierra Leone. The remaining Upper Guinea forests are recognized as internationally
important sites for biodiversity conservation, through a range of scientifically implemented conservation instruments,
including that of Global Biodiversity Priority Conservation Hotspot (Conservation International), Ecoregion (WWF) and
Endemic Bird Area (Birdlife International). However, the Gola Forests have yet to receive recognition by the highest
global authority to this date, the United Nations. Relying on the local, national and international motion built over the
last two decades, the nomination of the GRNP as a World Heritage Site is the logical step forward for Sierra Leone to
make sure this unique site will be conserved for the next generations. The Gola Forest is widely recognized as one of
the last significant remaining fragments of the Upper Guinea forest type in West Africa and hence is of inestimable
global biodiversity conservation value.
(ix) The extreme richness of biodiversity in GRNP is itself outstanding, yet the forest also proves to harbour
exceptional levels of endemism and numerous species which are globally threatened. This makes GRNP not only
unique nationally, but of immense importance both regionally and internationally. Gola has long been recognized as
one of the most important forests in Africa for bird conservation and current research is demonstrating this to be the
case in numerous other taxa too. It is now one of the best-documented forests in West Africa, making it an important
representation of the Upper Guinea forest type. The high levels of diversity and endemism are indicative of the
forest’s role as a glacial refugium, which has been most clearly demonstrated by genetic analysis of Gola’s
herpetofauna. The composition of the forest’s Lepidoptera also places GRNP in a local centre of endemism. Such
refugia have served to both preserve and enrich the region’s fauna and flora during the region’s history and have an
important role in sustaining this into the future. GRNP provides the opportunity to study processes of disturbance and
recovery which is of paramount importance for the effective management of the remaining forests throughout the
Upper Guinea region.
(x) GRNP is typical of the moist evergreen Upper Guinea Forest which is now a highly threatened habitat. Despite
being at the western extremity of this forest type, and experiencing some disturbance in the past, the forest retains a
remarkably high proportion of the representative fauna, including at least 49 large mammal species. It has one of the
most important known populations of the Endangered Pygmy Hippopotamus, a species with a global range restricted
to the western part of West Africa, as well as the endangered Western Chimpanzee and Forest Elephant. Despite
hunting pressures in the region, primate densities are high with at least 9,000 Endangered western red colobus and
over 15,000 Vulnerable Diana monkeys, as are forest ungulate densities and diversity with as many as 12 species
recently recorded. 313 birds species have been recorded of which 18 species are globally threatened or nearthreatened, accounting for almost all forest species recorded in the Upper Guinea region. These include globally
important populations of Gola Malimbe found here and in very few other sites with effective protection, and Whitenecked Picathartes which only nest on rarely occurring rock faces found under forest canopy. In other taxonomic
groups, recent surveys have recorded 41 species of bats making it one of the most diverse forests in West Africa for
this group; over 500 species of butterfly, including several new to science in recent years; 31 species of fish of which
35% are regional endemics, 43 species of amphibians and 13 species of reptiles, many of which are regional
endemics; over 20 small non-volant mammals and 140 dragonfly and damselfly species. Botanical surveys have
identified close to 1000 species in the GRNP and immediate environs, including well over 300 species of trees. New
species to science and first records for the region continue to be discovered within the National Park and surrounding
corridor areas – for example surveys in 2011 revealed at least six new dragonfly species, one butterfly and one shrew
species; in 2009 two new butterflies and one frog species were discovered.
Statements of authenticity and/or integrity
The management of the site is currently guided by a Management Plan (2007-2012) which has an overall aim to
“protect the Gola Forest in perpetuity through effective management, sustained funding and ongoing benefits for the
local communities”. The Management Plan has been approved by the Forestry Division and will be reviewed and
renewed in 2012 for another 5 years.
The GRNP is being managed by the Gola Forest Programme (GFP) – an enduring partnership of over 20 years
between the Forestry Division of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Security, the Conservation Society of
Sierra Leone (CSSL) and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), a UK based international NGO. The
GFP is mandated by the government to manage the National Park within the legal and policy framework of the
government. The partners of the GFP meet regularly to discuss and jointly approve strategies and solutions to
management issues, ensuring active involvement of both government and civil society in the implementation of the
programme. RSPB has a long term commitment toward providing ‘on the ground’ technical and management support
to the GFP which currently employs over a 100 national programme staff in Kenema. Additionally, the Tropical
Forests Unit of the International Division of the RSPB in the U.K backstops the GFP and its advisors on the ground
with additional technical and management support on regular visits. The GFP comprises a senior management team
(including the National Park Protected Area Manager), and programs / departments in Administration, Human
Resources, Financial Management, Community Development, Park Operations and Research and Monitoring. The
GFP retains the most experienced and technically proficient pool of protected area staff in the country and is
regarded by government as a model for guiding the management of other national protected areas.
Currently, 50 forest guards patrol and monitor the forests throughout the year, covering several hundred kilometres
within the park each month. Since the beginning of the programme there has been a significant reduction in the
number of poachers and guns apprehended and only isolated incidents of small scale logging, mining and agricultural
encroachment around the edges of the park which have been successfully contained. The conservation program has
been fortunate to enjoy the involvement and commitment from high levels of government, including the personal
attention of the President, without which the establishment of the National Park would have been unlikely. The most
significant threat to the park as a whole comes from increasing population within the forest edge communities and the
consequential pressure to expand agricultural development. However a planned programme to introduce extensive
livelihood development support to these communities, as part of the future carbon REDD+ project (currently in
development) will have a significant impact in mitigating this threat.
A significant historical threat to the park has come from commercial mining interests – particularly in the iron rich
Bagla Hills – which the government has successfully contained through a commitment to not allow any form of mining
inside the National Park. The current review of the Forestry and Wildlife laws and policies (due for adoption by
government by mid 2012) together with the publically stated intention of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food
Security (MAFFS) to establish a national protected area authority further indicates the continuing commitment of
government to improving the sustainable management of natural resources, environmental protection and protected
area management in the country. In 2012 the GFP will be assisting MAFFS to establish a Management Board for the
GRNP – to eventually sit within the national PA authority – and to further build the capacity of the government to take
a progressively more active role in overseeing the management of the GRNP through the GFP.
In response to the challenge of sustainable financing, the Gola Rainforest National Park was upgraded in status from
a forest reserve under the presumption that the cost of managing the area and the provision of community benefits
would come from the sale of carbon credits. This is why the RSPB is currently developing a REDD+ carbon project
for the park for implementation in 2012-2013. It is currently in the feasibility analysis stage with indications to date that
the project has the potential to generate sufficient revenue to sustain park operational and management costs including the continued implementation of the Community Development Benefit Sharing agreement (signed in 2005
and guaranteeing delivery of an annual development fund to each chiefdom surrounding the park) - for the next 20 to
30 years.
In summary, the long term commitment of the RSPB to providing continued technical support to the GFP – as it has
done for the past 20 years – coupled with a high level of government commitment to the programme and
establishment of the GRNP, provides a high assurance that the park will be optimally protected and managed for the
next two decades and beyond.
Comparison with other similar properties
The Gola Rainforest National Park (GRNP) in Sierra Leone and the adjacent Gola National Forest (GNF) in Liberia
(previously known as Lofa-Mano Forest), separated only by the Moro-Mano River, share a common species pool and
diversity of habitat types. As a result, both protected areas share a similar biodiversity, species richness and number
of endemic species. This is particularly evident with the larger mammal species such as primates, duikers, forest
elephants, pygmy hippos, bongo and buffalo which range across both protected areas. However, transect and
camera trapping surveys in both protected areas indicate differences in the abundance of certain species e.g. forest
elephants seem to be more abundant on the Liberian side (this may be due to the larger, continuous forest area)
while pygmy hippo signs were recorded more frequently in Sierra Leone at the edge of the GRNP. Additionally, a
2009 chimpanzee survey in and around the GRNP reported 138 chimp nests at a density of 0.27 individuals / km 2
which is higher than that found in the GNF (and also that of the Taï National Park in Côte d’Ivoire). The ecological
separation of the two protected areas by a major river boundary (Moro–Mano River system) is possibly reflected in
the discovery of smaller more sedentary species which have been found in either one or the other protected area but,
as yet, not in both e.g. the Critically Endangered toad Amietophrynus taiensis from the GRNP and the Vulnerable
leaf-litter frog Phrynobatrachus villiersi from the GNF.
While being very similar in terms of biodiversity, the level of management and protection varies greatly between the
two adjacent protected areas. Unlike the GNF in Liberia, the GRNP has well established and trained forest guard
teams regularly patrolling the National Park, gazetted boundaries, a community benefit sharing agreement in place,
an active research and monitoring program and a high level of political commitment and inter agency coordination to
prevent the commercial exploitation of natural resources in the park. The GNF on the contrary has yet to be upgraded
to National Park status (though it is planned), the boundaries have yet to be gazetted and it is only sporadically
patrolled by government forest guards. As a result the protected area suffers from frequent and unregulated logging,
mining, farming and hunting activities.
The Transboundary Peace Park Accord signed into existence by the Presidents of the two countries in 2009
(encompassing both protected areas and the further northern lying Foya protected area in Liberia) has yet to make a
tangible impact on the management status of the GNF. However, national and international efforts are underway to
provide additional support and impetus to the realisation of the Transboundary Park on the Liberian side. The
upgrading of the GRNP in Sierra Leone to WHS status would provide a much needed political boost and international
profile to the nascent Transboundary Park which has a vision to conserve a tropical moist forest landscape of more
than 300,000 ha between the two countries while delivering much needed social and economic benefits to the
communities in around the protected areas.
Presently, 33 World Heritage properties are listed in Africa with 8 of these occurring in West Africa. Sierra Leone is
without a World Heritage Site at present. The most obvious similarity between the proposed GRNP and other World
Heritage Sites in the region would be that of the Taï National Park in the Ivory Coast. It too is one of the last remnants
of the primary tropical forest of West Africa and also shares flagship species such as the pygmy hippo. The two
protected areas share similar biodiversity richness – as indicated by studies to date – although the eastern Sierra
Leonean–western Liberian region, where the GRNP is situated, is recognised as a centre of endemism for butterflies.
Additionally, as the GRNP and Tai NP respectively lie at the western and eastern boundaries of the Upper Guinean
Forest ecoregion the two parks experience different rainfall patterns which would likely be reflected in ecological and
biodiversity differences between the two areas.
Additionally, the sale of carbon credits from the forests of the GRNP – due to come on stream in 2013 - is a unique
venture in West Africa (and one of a few such projects worldwide) potentially assuring sustainable financing for the
GRNP over the next 20-30 years.
It is important to realise that the nomination of the GRNP as a World Heritage Site should be seen to complement
that of the Taï National Park as they will both serve as eastern and western cornerstones to the conservation of the
once vast, but now largely fragmented and globally important Upper Guinean Forest ecoregion and hotspot.