Combatting IWT in the Gola Sierra Leone-Liberia Transboundary Landscape
Key Facts
FUNDING SCHEME Main
VALUE £398,760
WHERE Sierra Leone, Liberia
Summary
The Illegal Wildlife Trade (IWT) is rapidly increasing in West Africa, with evidence of cross-border trading. The most frequently traded animals include Forest elephants, Western chimpanzees, Pangolins and Timneh Grey Parrots. Building on robust cross-border partnerships we will promote an integrated approach for sustainable IWT prevention and reduction in the 400,000ha+ Gola Rainforest landscape of Liberia and Sierra Leone, through anti-trafficking activity (training project and eco-guards) alongside support to provide alternative economic benefits (honey, tourism) for vulnerable communities.
Over 600 arrests and more than 500 convictions in wildlife crime since 2017, alongside a decline in ivory trafficking cases and an increase in elephant and rhino populations.
