By Mabinty M. Kamara
To ensure sustainable management of high-value conservation areas in Sierra Leone, the European Union is on the verge of granting 650,000 Euros to three chiefdoms within the Loma Mountain conserved area.
The project titled 'Sustainable Management of High-Value Conservation Areas', according to officials, is designed to last for 30 months and will be implemented through the National Protected Areas Authority (NPAA) in collaboration with the chiefdom authorities and Tacugama- a non-governmental conservation group in Sierra Leone.
Speaking to Politico, Bintu Sia Musa-Kamara, Park Manager for the Loma mountain conservation area, said that the European Union has been a crucial partner to the authorities in promoting conservation efforts in the country through many projects.
However, she said over the years, their development partner has been complementing the government’s efforts in conservation through support to non-governmental organisations and Community-Based Organisations (CBOs).
She added that they now had to approach the EU to see how they could support the authority to ensure biodiversity and promote conservation efforts for five protected areas, including Loma Mountain. She also acknowledged the support of the EU to their supervisory institution- the Environmental Protection Agency, to do a national Forest Inventory across the country.
"As a result, the EU decided to pilot a project at the Loma mountain, which happens to be one of the conservation areas that have not benefited a lot from development projects," she said.
The Forest manager mentioned concerns raised by communities around Loma Mountain that they have little or nothing to show for the conservation efforts over the years and, hence, find it difficult to support the process.
She said this is why the EU project focuses on community ownership through the Loma Conservation Programme to maximise community-derived benefits.
“So part of this project we are looking at is supporting these communities, especially in the areas of social amenities and infrastructure, to ensure that they benefit from the project since they have owned the conservation efforts," he said.
On the part of Tacugama, she said they will be working with them on the project to ensure bio-monitoring and other components. The project, she added, has three thematic areas: protection, research, and livelihood/ social amenities. She assured that the approach to their implementation will be community-led based on their development needs.
Speaking to Politico, Paramount Chief of Niene Chiefdom Fasali Kulako Demba Marrah III lamented that his chiefdoms and outlying chiefdoms around the Loma Mountain conservation area have not benefited much from the conservation efforts, making it difficult to ensure full compliance with conservation regulations and practices.
The chief highlighted the lack of a good road network, health facilities, culverts, and "the fact that we don't have any revenue-generating stream from which the communities can benefit at the end of the year like in diamond mining areas. For example, an Eco lodge. We don't have any eco-lodge that will house incoming tourists and researchers”.
The chief explained that an eco-lodge will not only bring tourists to the communities but will create employment for their people, and in that way, the community people will begin to see that it is worth the conservation efforts, but admitted that lack of all of these continues to hamper conservation efforts.
He said they need at least two hospitals in these three chiefdoms. He highlighted the tripartite chiefdoms surrounding Loma Mountain, Nieni, nyedu, and Barawa-wulay have similar problems. PC Marrah said women from those communities have, on many occasions, given birth in hammocks while being carried to the hospitals in faraway communities to put to bed.
The chief noted that publicising Loma Mountain would have little or no impact without good roads, good water points, and health facilities.
At the heart of Masonia, one of the communities surrounding Loma Mountain stands the only junior secondary school constructed by the Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary, a government partner in conservation efforts.
Upon completing junior secondary school, one has to relocate to communities with senior schools to complete their secondary education. Without that, their education ends at that point. Saidu Marrah, a JSS 3 pupil of the Tacugama Sanctuary Junior Secondary School, had to come from another nearby community to attend the school when he sat for the end of Primary School examination in 2021. "I am now apprehensive about where to find next for him to continue his education. Even as he is here, I have to squeeze from the salary I earn from Tacugama as an Eco-guard to support him here. We need a senior secondary school," said the senior brother of Saidu, who works with the conservation NGO -Masonia Village at the foot of Loma Mountains.
Other community members Politico spoke to applauded Tacugama whilst calling on other development partners and the government to improve the facility to senior school.
Copyright © 2024 Politico (07/02/24)
