The main objectives of this study are as follows:
To forecast the demand for forest products and services in the next two decades.
To plan and execute supply of these products and services during the same period.
To determine all the possible sources of impacts and influences on the demand and supply trends of those products and services during the period.
Mandate of the Forestry Sub-Sector
The mandate of the Forestry sector entails the provision of forest products and services to present and future generations of this country in perpetuity.
This is achieved through forest regeneration; protection; management; public sensitisation and awareness raising on topical conservation issues, in collaboration with allied institutions, NGOs, local communities and youth groups etc.
Structure of the sector
The Forestry sector of the present Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Marine Resources comprises of the large Forestry Conservation Section, a small Wildlife Conservation Unit and a Rubber Development Branch which production wing was privatised in 1994.
Other sectors of the present Ministry are: Agriculture, Livestock, Planning Monitoring and Evaluation, Land and Water Development and Agricultural Engineering. The Environmental Protection Sector which mandate is closely allied to Forestry was lost to the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Country Planning early this year but it might move again.
Staff Disposition
A total area of 507,700 ha comprising national forests, community forests, and wildlife protection areas is manned by followingly: 177 Forestry staff (90% in the Junior cadre) and 33 Wildlife staff (98% in the Junior cadre). The current protected area to staff ratio of 2418:1 is probably the most outrageous in the African region. At the moment, about 28 senior staff vacancies and 63 middle to Junior staff vacancies are to be filled (ref Annex 1-1).
Established in 1911, the challenges of the past 9 decades have not been adequately addressed by the present low staff strength and capacity.
The Forest Estate
Estimates of forest types by area contained in Annex 1.2 indicates that 60% of the nation’s forest land area is occupied by forest regrowth. Unfortunately, this forest type continues to expand rapidly at the expense of the closed high forests in particular, due to agricultural expansion, logging, mining and other life-sustaining activities.
Forests and other protected areas under government control presently occupy about 5-10% of the land area of Sierra Leone (see map 1.1). Attempts to expand areas under government control are frustrated by the fact that even the enlightened and resource-poor citizens very heavily depend on their land as the only means of livelihood and are least willing to dispose of it. The most frustrating aspect of the problem is that encroachment pressure on even the meagre forest estates under government control is on the increase . The post war situation could be worst considering the degree of lawlessness experienced behind rebel lines and the associated poverty and forest depletion imposed by the war.
In addition, about 18,000ha of rubber Hevea brasielensis had been planted mostly in the Eastern and South Eastern regions in the early 60’s. About 53,000 acres (21,285ha) of matured rubber estate was leased to the Sierra Rubber Company in January 1991. Operations should have started almost immediately but for the civil conflict that erupted close to the project site in March 1991.
Sierra Leone’s closed forests form the easternmost extent of the Upper Guinea Forest Block extending from the Dahomey Gap to Guinea (see map 1.2). The largest of these, the Gola Forest complex has a high species biodiversity and endemism with endangered species such as the African elephant (Lexodanta africana), Leopard and about 9 endangered or threatened primate species. Cross border migration of elephants between Northern Sierra Leone and Southern Guinea and Eastern Sierra Leone and Western Liberia are issues of sub-regional importance which had been proposed for funding by the US Fish and Wildlife Service in December 1999 during the Workshop on Bushmeat Management.
Funding and logistical support
The agriculture sector receives the Lion’s share of the re-current national budget. The Forestry sector is marginalized and underfunded in a Ministry where the major focus is food production. In addition, government actually spends over 80% of the Ministerial budgets on staff remuneration with a staggering 20 % on the logistical support necessary for making the sectors operational.
However, the forestry sector had benefited from an UNDP/FAO intervention through a sector review and capacity building project, although the return of a majority of the trainees coincided with the escalation of the war in Freetown. This resulted in some additional brain drain. One output of the Capacity Building Project, the Forestry Planning Unit, could not be operational due to the pre-mature termination of the no- cost extension of that project in 1988 to be blamed on the deteriorating security situation.
Potentials of the Sector
Membership of international conservation organizations and conventions such as CITES, Ramsar Conventions, CBD, UNFCC, etc. continues to guarantee support to the country’s forestry and wildlife sector. Previous studies aimed at the development of the sector including Philipson’s report (1986); Forestry sector review (1990); Agric Sector Master Plan study (1994) and now the Forestry Outlook Study for Africa hold promise for the development of the sector.
The untapped potentials of the wildlife sub-sector in terms of tourist revenue; gate fees to protected areas; export of wildlife; game hunting and regulated bushmeat trade could be harnessed during the period under review.
