By Nasratu Kargbo
Within ten months an estimated one thousand one hundred and seventy-three (1,173) hectares of land have been deforested in the country’s Western Area Peninsular National Park, according to Haja Kaday Sesay from Climate Change, Environment and Forest Conservation Consortium (CEFCON-SL).
Sesay made this statement on the 10th October 2023, whilst speaking on behalf of civil society at a climate change conference organised by Green Scenery Sierra Leone with the theme: “Protection of Western Area Peninsular National Park; an assurance for water conservation, wellbeing and climate mitigation”.
“The Western Area Peninsular National Park as a protected area covers an area of 183.37 square Kilometres with over seventeen thousand hectares of closed forest” she said. She explained that according to the World Food Programme’s (WFP) 2023 report one thousand one hundred and seventy-three hectares of land have been deforested within a short period of time, as a result of human activities.
She added that the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has rated Sierra Leone as one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change and cited limited legal framework to address human activities that have direct impact on the environment, with limited care and protection, the reasons for the country’s vulnerability to climate change.
“This is worrisome and unacceptable; it is time for us to act” Sesay said. She explained that due to the above mentioned risks, the civil society climate justice campaign group with the support from Trocaire through Green Scenery have developed a four year climate change advocacy campaign strategy and a six month work plan in a bid to combat climate change and its effects in the Western Area.
She called on everyone to do their bit in ensuring climate change is mitigated in the country.
Representing School Pupils Hannah K. Turay from Russel Technical Senior Secondary School in Tombo said climate change causes negative impact in her community, which according to her in not a new phenomenon in her community because they have been experiencing it for quite some time.
She attributed causes of climate change in the Tombo Community, to human activities such as stone mining, deforestation, sand mining, overfishing or bad method of fishing amongst others. She explained that residents in her community are engaged in such disastrous activities due to livelihood and commercial purposes.
The Pupil heaped praises on Green Scenery for educating them on climate change through outreach programmes in her school and community. “Before now we see activities like deforestation and other activities that cause climate change as normal activities for livelihood without thinking of any threat or danger. Now, due to awareness and education, some of us are serving as ambassadors in spreading the message to our communities”, she said.
Henry Bayoh from Trocaire said climate change affects human existence and drew attention to the IPCC warning that the impact of climate change will get worse if not addressed; stressing that urgent action should be made to address the problem.
Speaking on what his institution has done to help the country, Bayoh explained that they are conducting a research that will inform their advocacy work, which he said is an action research because of their intention to empower communities.
Green Scenery is an organization which promotes awareness about the environment.
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