The Western Area Peninsula National Park (WAPNP), a vital source of water and natural protection for Sierra Leone’s capital, is vanishing at an alarming rate, with 715 hectares of forest lost in 2024 alone—the equivalent of more than 1,300 football fields.
The data, released by the World Food Programme (WFP) through its EU-funded Asset Impact Monitoring (AIMS) system, paints a grim picture: over one-third of the park’s original forest cover—about 5,600 hectares—has been destroyed in the past decade.
WFP’s Country Director Yvonne Forsen warned that the park’s destruction is not just an environmental crisis, but “a direct threat to human survival in Freetown.” She pointed to the park’s role in safeguarding the Guma Valley Dam, which supplies drinking water to 90% of the city’s residents.
“If the forest goes, the water goes. And with it, the safety of hundreds of thousands of people,” Forsen said.
The WFP report identifies 220 fire hotspots in 2024 alone, most believed to be set by land grabbers clearing areas for illegal housing. Granite quarries, charcoal production sites, and even a marijuana farm were discovered inside the park during joint inspections by government agencies, UN staff, and local activists.
Community elder Abu Koroma, who has lived on the park’s edge for 40 years, said the destruction has accelerated in the last five years.
“People come at night with chainsaws. They burn the land, then build houses. We report, but nothing happens,” he told The Exclusive.
The EU’s Chargé d’Affaires, Gerald Hatler, said Sierra Leone is in danger of “losing an ecological jewel” and warned that continued inaction could undermine the country’s eligibility for UNESCO World Heritage status for the park.
“We have reached a tipping point. Without immediate and coordinated enforcement, this loss will be irreversible,” Hatler said.
Beyond water security, the park is home to the critically endangered western chimpanzee, rare bird species, and medicinal plants found nowhere else. Environmentalist Isatu Bangura said the loss of forest cover is weakening the area’s ability to absorb carbon emissions and protect against climate disasters like the 2017 Regent mudslide, which killed more than 1,000 people.
“We are not just losing trees—we are dismantling our city’s defence system,” Bangura said.
Activists are urging the government to:
1. Deploy a permanent joint patrol unit involving forest rangers, military, and police.
2. Prosecute high-profile land grabbers, not just small-scale offenders.
3. Work with communities to create alternative livelihoods that don’t depend on forest destruction.
Forsen said WFP’s AIMS technology will continue to track every new loss in real time—and the results will be shared publicly to keep pressure on the authorities.
“The science is clear. The choice is political,” she said. “Protect the park now, or pay a far greater price later.”
By Joseph Turay
