The Gola REDD+ Project

Overview

Most of the work in the Gola Rainforest is supported by the Gola REDD+ Project. This ambitious project, the first of its kind in West Africa, was launched in 2013 and uses the sale of carbon credits to generate income for conservation over a 30-year period. It is an Avoided Emissions project, measuring carbon saved by avoiding deforestation in the project area. The carbon credits generated by the conservation of the rainforest are validated by the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) and the Climate, Community and Biodiversity Alliance (CCBA) – two recognised international standards of best practice – to provide a stream of sustainable revenue.

The funds generated from the sale of carbon credits in Gola are used to:

  • Improve the conservation strategy and effective management of the National Park

  • Promote sustainable resource management throughout the project zone by engaging in a suite of livelihood improvement activities with local communities

  • Support a monitoring program that provides robust information to underpin management decisions and a research program that allows GRNP to become recognised as an international centre of excellence

  • Build a national Conservation Trust Fund that will provide a means of ensuring conservation actions last beyond the lifetime of the project

The Gola REDD+ project was developed through the collaboration of the Forestry Division of the Government of Sierra Leone, the Conservation Society of Sierra Leone (CSSL) and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) with the full involvement of local communities in the seven Gola Chiefdoms.

Project Impact Areas

Climate Change Mitigation

The project ensures around 19 million tonnes of carbon remain locked within Gola’s forests and safeguarded through sustainable management, reducing emissions by approximately half a million tonnes of CO2e annually which would have been emitted in the absence of this project.

Protecting Biodiversity

The project protects the largest remnants of Upper Guinean Tropical Rainforest left in Sierra Leone. In an area of just under 700 square kilometres, more than 300 bird species have been recorded, 14 of which face global risk of extinction. A variety of other flagship species are also found in Gola including the elusive pygmy hippo, only present in this part of Africa, a healthy population of western chimpanzees and 47 other species of large mammals.

Sustainable Livelihoods

The project supports forest-friendly, sustainable commodity production and has established 42 cocoa farmer groups with over 1,500 registered cocoa farmers. The cocoa farmer associations have exported more than 35 tonnes of rainforest friendly cocoa into the international market, where it is being recognised for its quality and unique story.

Community Development

The project has funded multiple community initiatives that help to build sustainable economic opportunities to ensure the change is permanent and rebuild infrastructure and services like schools, community halls, and clinics.

Project Documentation

For more information about carbon credits, please follow the link to the Gola Conservation Project on the Respira International webpage.