Sierra Leone risks an environmental and human disaster as deforestation ravages the Western Area Peninsula National Park, the main water catchment for the Guma Valley Dam, which supplies 90% of Freetown’s drinking water. An EU-funded World Food Programme (WFP) report says 715 hectares of forest were lost in 2024 alone, pushing total destruction to more than one-third of the park’s original cover.
Satellite analysis using WFP’s Asset Impact Monitoring System (AIMS) revealed 220 illegal fires last year, alongside land grabs, granite quarrying, charcoal production, and even marijuana farms inside the park. Officials warn the forest loss is increasing silt in the dam, driving up water treatment costs and weakening flood control.
“This is not just about trees,” said WFP Country Director Yvonne Forsen. “If the forest goes, the water goes—and with it, the safety of hundreds of thousands of people.” EU Chargé d’Affaires Gerald Hatler warned the damage is approaching an “irreversible tipping point” unless urgent enforcement halts the destruction.
Local residents say illegal housing construction is accelerating, with loggers and land grabbers operating openly. “We report them, but nothing happens,” said community elder Abu Koroma. Conservationists fear the loss of habitat for endangered species, including the western chimpanzee, could be permanent.
Environmental groups are calling for joint patrols of rangers, police, and soldiers; prosecution of high-profile offenders; and livelihood alternatives for at-risk communities. “The science is clear,” Forsen stressed. “Protect the park now, or pay a far greater price later.”
By Joseph Turay
