WFP Launches EU-Funded Project to Curb Alarming Forest Loss and Support Communities
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), in partnership with the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, and the Ministry of Finance, has launched the Nature Nourishes- Territorial Approach to Local Development Project, funded by the European Union. Worth €9.5 million, the project will work in protected areas to restore forests and water catchments, promote alternative livelihoods, strengthen land use planning, and train community guards to protect biodiversity.
At the launch, Minister of Environment and Climate Change Jiwoh Abdulai presented the latest forest loss figures for May 2024 to April 2025: 713 hectares lost in the Western Area Peninsula National Park, 2,152 hectares each in Outamba Kilimi and Gola Rainforest National Parks, and 840 hectares in Loma Mountains National Park. He identified logging, building encroachment, mining, and charcoal burning as the main drivers of deforestation, warning that these activities threaten water security and increase disaster risks. He called on residents, particularly in the Western Area, to take responsibility for protecting water catchment areas and to avoid construction in sensitive zones such as near the Tacugama Sanctuary.
WFP Country Director Yvonne Forsen reminded participants that 14 August marks the 10th anniversary of the Freetown landslide and noted that deforestation has accelerated since then. She stressed that urgent, coordinated action is needed to prevent future landslides, floods, and long-term impacts like water shortages and rising temperatures. Forsen explained that the Nature Nourishes Project will directly link environmental protection to community benefits through reforestation, sustainable farming, eco-tourism, and local governance. She emphasised that line ministries must align their efforts to ensure the project achieves its goals.
The event also highlighted local and donor perspectives. Paramount Chief and Member of Parliament Hon. Mima Kajue described how her chiefdom abandoned charcoal burning in favour of swamp rice farming and 100 hectares of cashew plantations, creating sustainable jobs for young people.
Representing the European Union, Holger Rommen, Team Lead for Infrastructure and Rural Development, said the EU is proud to fund the Nature Nourishes Project as part of its broader commitment to tackling climate change, biodiversity loss, and environmental degradation in Sierra Leone. He noted that the EU’s investment of €9.5 million will directly support communities living near forests and wetlands to protect these ecosystems while improving their livelihoods. Rommen acknowledged the alarming rates of deforestation revealed in the recent analysis, stressing that the loss of forest cover not only threatens biodiversity but also jeopardises water security, food production, and the resilience of rural communities. He emphasised that the EU’s support is designed to empower local people to lead conservation efforts, strengthen sustainable land management, and create viable green economic opportunities, ensuring that environmental protection delivers tangible benefits for present and future generations.
