Gola-Tiwai Complex

Brief synthesis The Gola-Tiwai Complex is a serial property consisting of four component parts in two protected areas located in the Eastern and Southern Provinces of Sierra Leone: the Gola Rainforest National Park (GRNP) and the Tiwai Island Wildlife Sanctuary (TIWS). GRNP consists of three component parts – Gola North, Gola Central and Gola South – and TIWS as a single component part bounded by the Moa River. Together, they cover an area of 71,203 ha. GRNP and TIWS are part of the Greater Gola Landscape that extends eastwards into Liberia and constitutes, as a whole, the third largest remaining forest block in the highly fragmented Upper Guinean Forest. In contrast with other sites in the Upper Guinean Forest, deforestation in the Gola-Tiwai Complex is extremely low. It is also a stronghold of the globally threatened Western Chimpanzee and Pygmy Hippopotamus and of the iconic White-necked Rockfowl, and of cichlid fish and other freshwater taxa. Criterion (ix): The Gola-Tiwai Complex lies within the area of highest rainfall in the Upper Guinean Forest zone. It is the westernmost surviving block of intact moist tropical forest in the Guinean Forests of West Africa biodiversity hotspot. As a result of the unique hydrological conditions, the Northern Upper Guinea area has been designated as a distinct freshwater ecoregion characterised by tropical and subtropical coastal rivers with an intricate hydrological network. The Northern Upper Guinea freshwater ecoregion has a distinct fish fauna and high levels of endemism in other taxonomic groups. For instance, the regional rivers of the Upper Guinea freshwater ecoregion, including those of the Gola-Tiwai Complex, are a cradle for Tilapia evolution. The forest structure in the Gola-Tiwai Complex shares many characteristics with the broader Upper Guinean Forest coastal belt in which it is located. It also shares plant species with Mount Nimba and other forests to the northeast and with remaining forest fragments to the northwest that are not present at sites further east. Once part of a single contiguous forest extending to the northwest, northeast and southeast, the Greater Gola Landscape shares characteristics and species with other remaining fragments, thanks to its central location, whilst being distinct from the other fragments. The probable reason for this is the expansion and contraction of forests over time caused by changes to the global climate. This evolutionary process helps explain the high species richness and endemism of the Greater Gola Landscape and provides continued resilience in the face of climate change and the continuing fragmentation of the Upper Guinean Forest. Criterion (x): As a result of the landscape characteristics and ecological processes described above, the Gola-Tiwai Complex is correspondingly unique when it comes to the diversity of its habitats and biodiversity, notably of its freshwater fish, bats, butterflies and orchids. The most important family of freshwater fish in the Gola-Tiwai Complex are Cichlidae, consisting of the two genera Tilapia and Sarotheradon. Eight Tilapia species occur in the average Sierra Leonean river basin, which stands out among other African lakes and river basins. Primate biomass in the Gola-Tiwai Complex is among the highest in the world. The highly threatened chimpanzee subspecies, the Western Chimpanzee, whose population trend overall is on the decline, occurs in the Gola-Tiwai Complex at comparatively higher densities than elsewhere and is one of just seven exceptionally stable or high Western chimpanzee density sites and is an important area for the survival of the subspecies. The Greater Gola Landscape, of which the Gola-Tiwai Complex is part, is also a stronghold for the equally threatened Forest Elephant in west Africa. The rich bird fauna of the Gola-Tiwai Complex includes up to 448 species including globally important populations of the White-breasted Guineafowl, the Timneh Parrot and the flagship White-necked Rockfowl which nests on rock faces under the forest canopy and whose survival in this landscape may be due in part to its cultural significance for the local Mende people. Thanks to its steep slopes and rocky outcrops, the Gola-Tiwai Complex includes an abundance of habitats suitable for nests of the White-necked Rockfowl. Invertebrates include over 500 species of butterfly and 140 species of dragonflies and damselflies. Integrity The majority of the Gola-Tiwai Complex consists of primary moist or semi-deciduous tropical rainforest that has never been commercially exploited. The remaining area consists of secondary vegetation that is regenerating naturally since commercial timber extraction and shifting cultivation ended in 2003. Deforestation rates are low compared to the Upper Guinean Forest more broadly. The four component parts that constitute the Gola-Tiwai Complex are sufficiently large together, and ecological connectivity between them sufficiently intact, to maintain viable populations of all but the widest-ranging species. Inventories and monitoring conducted at Gola and Tiwai since the 1980s indicate that all the species that would be expected in a block of Upper Guinean Forest in this location are present and their populations stable. Activities within the formal buffer zone and the sustainable collection of non-timber forest products within the protected areas are governed by agreements signed with local communities and enforced using the authority of the paramount chiefs, section chiefs and village chiefs. Hunting and artisanal mining were widespread in the past but occur now only at very low levels. Surveys of primates since 2012 indicate that, even for taxa that were heavily hunted during armed conflict, populations have returned to similar levels to those observed in the 1980s and – in terms of biomass – are once again among the highest in the world. Protection and management requirements The effective protection and management of the Gola-Tiwai Complex is assured by the National Protected Area Authority of Sierra Leone, which has delegated the day-to-day management of the sites to the not-for-profit Gola Rainforest Conservation company (GRCLG) and the Tiwai Island Administrative Committee. The four directors of the GRCLG include the Government of Sierra Leone, the representatives of two national and international nongovernmental organisations, and an elected representative of the Paramount Chiefs of the seven chiefdoms around GRNP. At both Gola and Tiwai, the close engagement of local communities in the management of the protected areas is key for successful protection. Elsewhere, habitat fragmentation over the past two centuries has left very few large forest blocks intact. Protection and management of GRNP is funded in part by carbon revenues from a Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD) project that supports park management as well as the livelihoods of communities in the buffer zone. In addition, major donor agencies have consistently provided financial support for the conservation of the Gola-Tiwai Complex, indicating strong interest on the part of the global conservation community. Monitoring of biodiversity and park management indicators is conducted regularly and will be extended in coming years to include TIWS. Baseline monitoring data on biodiversity and the state of the forest dating back to the 1980s is available for both sites.