Sierra Leone Celebrates Its First UNESCO World Heritage Site: Gola-Tiwai
Sierra Leone Celebrates Its First UNESCO World Heritage Site: Gola-Tiwai
Decades of activism by Tommy Garnett and his organization, the Environmental Foundation for Africa (EFA), saved Tiwai from destruction during Sierra Leone’s civil war (1991–2002).
The newly designated Gola-Tiwai complex encompasses Gola Rainforest National Park, the nation's largest tropical rainforest. The region, long threatened by deforestation, includes Tiwai Island, a 12-square-kilometer haven for rare species, including:
🟠Endangered western chimpanzees,
🟠King colobus,
🟠Diana monkeys,
🟠Pygmy hippos,
🟠Critically endangered African forest elephants.
Garnett founded the EFA in 1992 to promote environmental conservation across West Africa. He began protecting Tiwai in the early 2000s, turning it into one of Sierra Leone’s greatest conservation success stories. Despite civil conflict and the 2014 Ebola crisis, he managed to curb deforestation, poaching, and other threats.
Footage: RSPB
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