Tiwai Island 7⁰ 32’N 11⁰ 21’W
Gola South 7⁰ 22’N 11⁰ 12’W
Gola Central 7⁰ 39’N 10⁰ 52’W
Gola North 7⁰ 48’N 10⁰ 40’W
The Gola-Tiwai forests contain two significant protected areas set in a matrix of traditional agricultural practices and cultural landscapes. The two protected areas are The Gola Rainforest National Park (GRNP) and Tiwai Island Wildlife Sanctuary.
The Gola Forest is the largest remaining area of Upper Guinea tropical rainforest in Sierra Leone. It shows a high variety of different forest habitats (pristine to disturbed, and in various stages of succession) having a rich biodiversity of species, many of them endemic to the Upper Guinean forests, with several found nowhere else. The Gola and Tiwai areas currently enjoy legal protection and enthusiastic support from the local communities. Eco-tourism is developing slowly and is led by the communities with the support of the Environmental Foundation for Africa (EFA) at Tiwai Island and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) in the Gola Rainforest National Park. Both EFA and RSPB have been supporting local communities for almost two decades; since the end of the civil war (1991-2001). The recognition of Gola-Tiwai forests as an UNESCO World Heritage site would provide the impetus for local initiatives to further its goal of environmental protection and restoration in Western Africa.
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