Sierra Leone Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan.

Sierra Leone Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan is a cross-sectoral national strategy and action plan with an overall goal to seek conservation measures that provide the solid framework for the sustainable exploitation of Sierra Leone’s biodiversity for the benefit of present and future generations. The strategy focuses on the following ecosystems: (i) Forests; (ii) Montane Ecosystems; (iii) Savannah; (iv) Agricultural Biodiversity; (v) Wetlands and Freshwater; (vi) Coastal and Marine, and is subdivided in three main groups of themes ‘Terrestrial Biodiversity’, ‘Aquatic Biodiversity’ and ‘Cross-Cutting Issues’.
The priority projects designed to make agriculture, forestry and fisheries more productive and sustainable include: Post-Conflict Reconstruction and Management of Protected Areas in Sierra Leone; Medicinal Plant Conservation in Sierra Leone Development and Implementation of a Biodiversity Database System (Bioinformatics); Environmental Education and Awareness Raising Program; Resuscitation of the National Herbarium of Sierra Leone Mapping and Documentation of the Flora and Fauna of Sacred Groves; Inventorying the Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs); Post-Conflict Rapid Biodiversity Assessment of Large Mammals; National Reforestation and Rehabilitation of Degraded Forest Resources; Nationwide Forest Inventory to Restore and Redefine the Forest Estate after the Civil Conflict; Smallholder Domestication of Thryonomys swinderianus (Cutting Grass) as a preferred bushmeat species; Co-management and Rehabilitation of Mangrove Ecosystem in Southwestern Sierra Leone; Control of Forest Fires in the Northern Savanna Region of Sierra Leone; Capacity Building for Biodiversity Conservation; National Marine Biodiversity and Museum; Assessment of the Marine Finfish and Shellfish Stocks of the Inshore Coastal Waters of the continental Shelf of Sierra Leone; Studies on the Biodiversity of Major Estuarine Systems; Small Ruminants Restocking Program; and Gola Conservation Concession Development Project.
Implementation of the above-referenced priority projects will also help with poverty reduction and inclusion efforts by creating jobs through the conservation and sustainable utilization of biodiversity, creating a fair redistribution of benefits and opportunities arising it, developing human capacity, and providing a conducive environment for the participation of all stakeholders (Civil Society, Traditional Rulers, Educational Institutions, NGOs Government Agencies, Researchers) in the conservation of biodiversity.
Regarding governance, the implementation of the proposed strategies and action plans will be the primary responsibility of the NBSAP Coordination Unit. The unit will be responsible for monitoring and reviewing progress on a regular basis with recommendations for improvement. Targets will be set with clearly defined indicators. Progress reports on a bi-annual basis will be produced and published and circulated to the general public, with the results made available in a report to the Conference of Parties to the CBD. Evaluation and review of the NBSAP will be done after five years.