Gola Rainforest

The Greater Gola Landscape covers 350,000 hectares of tropical forest, straddling the border between Sierra Leone and Liberia in West Africa. Gola is home to more than 320 species of birds as well as endangered mammals including pangolins, Chimpanzees, Forest Elephants and Pygmy Hippos. However, the landscape also faces a number of threats, including wildlife and forest crime such as illegal logging, mining and hunting. For over 30 years, we’ve supported the protection of this globally important biodiversity hotspot.

In Sierra Leone, the RSPB works with the Conservation Society of Sierra Leone, the Government of Sierra Leone, and local communities to protect the forest and ensure its resources are used in a sustainable way.

In 2015, we worked together with our partners in Sierra Leone to set up Gola Rainforest Conservation (GRC-LG), a not-for-profit company, with the aim of protecting the Gola Rainforest National Park – for wildlife, rural communities, and the planet. In 2025, the national park was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, together with neighbouring Tiwai Island Wildlife Sanctuary, in recognition of its outstanding universal value for nature.

For many years, we have also worked closely with the Society for the Conservation of Nature of Liberia, and other partners, collaborating on conservation efforts and livelihood development projects across the Liberian part of the Greater Gola Landscape.

The Gola REDD+ Project (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) in Sierra Leone supports the protection of the Gola Rainforest National Park through a system of verfied carbon credits. The sale of these credits, issued after a rigorous verficiation process, funds the protection of the national park. This ensures that carbon remains locked in the forest and forest-edge communities are supported. Every year, the Gola REDD+ project helps mitigate the effects of climate change by preventing the encroachment of logging, mining and farming activities on the forest, and avoids the emissions of half a million tonnes of CO2.

In Liberia we are supporting the development of a similar project to provide long-term funding to protect forests and support communities. We are currently working together on developing the plans, and look forward to bringing you more updates as this work progresses.

Across West Africa, cocoa farming is one of the leading drivers of deforestation. However, when particular shade-loving varieties of cocoa are grown amongst taller trees, these cocoa farms can provide important habitat for a range of species. Even better, when the farms are located between patches of protected forest, they can also act as corridors allowing animals to move more safely between different areas.

Local communities are at the heart of conservation in Gola. In Liberia, we’re supporting sustainable beekeeping and cocoa farming, community microfinance projects and forest protection efforts by local community ecoguards. In Sierra Leone, a benefit-sharing agreement ensures that revenue from the REDD+ project supports community development initiatives, education, microfinance and healthcare projects. We also support local groups to protect their own community forests, as these can host a wide range of species and form vital corridors between officially protected areas.

Around 60% of the Gola Rainforest is found in Liberia, and in 2016, 80,00 hectares were designated as the Gola Forest National Park. Here, we work with the Society of the Conservation of Nature of Liberia on a range of projects to support Liberia’s forest, wildlife and the local communities that live there. One example is a project led by the Wild Chimpanzee Foundation to help combat wildlife and forest crime. Our efforts here are focused on the work of ‘ecoguards’ – community members who work alongside government rangers in protected areas.

Scientific research in Gola is a vital part of protecting this internationally-important landscape. From measuring trees to monitoring species, it helps to build a picture and shape future conservation here.

This includes monitoring breeding colonies of White-necked Picathartes, analysing environmental DNA for signs of Pygmy Hippos, and surveying the forest for chimpanzee nests.

The Gola team uses camera traps deep in the rainforest to record images and short video clips of forest wildlife. This kind of data-gathering is done remotely, reducing disturbance to the animals. To complement teh camera traps, the Gola team are also developing their use of bioacoustics. This involves ‘listening’ to the forest electronically using audio recorders, to better understand patterns and changes in animal behaviour. When used together, these technologies can help to paint a more accurate picture of the rainforest and its wildlife.

The Greater Gola Landscape is made up of protected areas, including national parks and forest reserves, as well as community lands. By taking a landscape-scale approach to conservation here, we supported efforts to establish the Gola Peace Park that connects forests between Sierra Leone and Liberia. We’ve also been supporting efforts across the landscape to create new protected areas and increase the status and protection of existing ones.

Gola isn’t just an internationally-important area for wildlife. Its forests also lock up millions of tonnes of carbon. Keeping them protected is vital to help us fight the climate crisis and support Sierra Leone and Liberia to meet their international commitments on reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

International Eco Fund (IEF)