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Tropical Forest Protection - Gola Rainforest, Sierra Leone
This project aims to conserve around 67,000 hectares of forest in the Gola Rainforest National Park. The park and surrounding forests form Sierra Leone’s largest remaining area of Upper Guinea tropical forest, a globally recognised biodiversity hotspot. The landscape supports 60 threatened species, including eight endangered and one critically endangered species. Through forest protection and improved management, the project seeks to safeguard biodiversity and prevent deforestation. It also provides livelihood support and development initiatives for 122 communities living around the Gola Rainforest National Park.
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Project information
Protecting Sierra Leone’s tropical rainforest with local communities
The project protects 67,401 hectares of the Gola Rainforest National Park in southeastern Sierra Leone, home to the nation's largest remaining tract of Upper Guinea Tropical Forest, one of the most biodiverse and threatened ecosystems on Earth. The park serves as a critical refuge for endangered species including the western chimpanzee and pygmy hippopotamus, and sits within a globally recognised biodiversity hotspot under acute pressure from encroachment, illegal mining, and logging. The primary driver of forest loss is the traditional crop-fallow cycle practised by rural communities along the park boundary, a pattern rooted in poverty and limited economic alternatives rather than disregard for conservation.
The project addresses this through a two-pronged strategy: trained forest ranger patrols to deter illegal activity, and long-term partnerships with 122 Forest Edge Communities to develop sustainable livelihood alternatives. These include climate-smart agricultural training, Fairtrade cocoa value-chain development, and micro-finance schemes that reduce dependence on forest conversion as an economic fallback. Since 2012, the project has avoided over 5,209,442 tonnes of CO2 and effectively halted large-scale deforestation within the park. Community impacts have been equally significant, with 2,343 secondary school scholarships awarded over the lifetime of the project. Biodiversity impacts are also positive, and the latest monitoring report shows that most primate species in the pgroject area show population improbements compared to baseline survey.
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Key information
Intervention
Avoided Deforestation
Location
Sierra Leone
Credit type
Carbon Credits: Avoidance
Standard
Peatland Carbon Code (PCC)
Assessment methodology
Keystone 3.0
Sustainable Goals
Project performance
The Earthly rating
The Earthly rating is the industry-first holistic project assessment. Earthly researchers analyse 160+ data points, aggregating information across the three vital pillars of carbon, biodiversity and people. Projects in Earthly's marketplace all exceed a minimum score of 5/10.
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Carbon
1,891,181
tCO₂e net emissions avoided between 2019 and 2023
Biodiversity
67,401
hectares protected
Social
122
communities receive livelihood support and poverty reduction initiatives
Project impact
Local impact
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The image shows forest loss within and around the project area from 2001 to 2024. The project zone, outlined in white, marks where carbon sequestration activities occur. While some deforestation is visible inside the boundary, most forest loss has occurred outside the project area, both before and after the project began.
Dataset used: Hansen Global Forest Change (2001-2024) modified
Project area: through time
The primary driver of deforestation in the region is the conversion of forest into bush-fallow cycles for subsistence agriculture. Other important drivers include selective logging, mining, plantation agriculture, and agricultural expansion by both large and small companies. These pressures are associated with a range of actors, including local communities, migrants, miners, and commercial operators.
As shown by the analysis, the project appears to have been successful in protecting the project area and reducing forest loss and degradation, particularly compared with the surrounding landscape, where deforestation and degradation remain clearly visible. Deforestation patterns also differ between the eastern and western sides of the project area. The area to the east lies in Liberia, where different land-use pressures and governance conditions may apply. In addition, this eastern area falls within or near Lofa-Mano National Park, which provides additional level of protection.
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Positive for people
The project takes a structured, multi-pronged approach to addressing systemic poverty and food insecurity across Forest Edge Communities, anchored by ten community initiative categories spanning sustainable livelihoods, physical infrastructure, and local governance. Agricultural productivity is a central pillar, with 83 Farmer Field Schools delivering climate-smart training to over 2,200 members, and a cocoa rehabilitation programme that has successfully secured Fairtrade premiums through direct international export, providing farmers with a more reliable and higher-value market than previously accessible.
Financial resilience is strengthened through 94 Village Savings and Loan Association groups, which have collectively issued over 1,000 micro-loans for medical emergencies, farm inputs, and household stabilisation, serving as a vital safety net in a region with no formal banking infrastructure. Physical infrastructure has been substantially improved through the Chiefdom Development Fund, delivering 85 community projects to date, including 34 rice mills, 4 schools, 2 health posts, and water and sanitation facilities that directly improve quality of life across participating chiefdoms.
Educational access is expanded through 1,169 secondary school scholarships awarded with a strict gender parity policy, ensuring equal opportunity for boys and girls, alongside 40 school wildlife clubs fostering environmental stewardship among younger generations. Annual royalty payments to 234 traditional landowning families provide direct and sustained financial compensation for their role in forest protection.
Observed outcomes reflect a meaningful and growing positive impact on community well-being. Project areas record a 1% lower annual deforestation rate than non-project villages, implying a 30% reduction in land conversion over time. VSLA social funds have demonstrably reduced household vulnerability to short-term shocks such as illness and crop failure, and the Fairtrade cocoa export programme has opened new income pathways that extend beyond subsistence agriculture, strengthening the long-term economic resilience of Forest Edge Communities.
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Good for earth
The Upper Guinea forests extend across West Africa from Guinea to Togo and are separated from the main Guinea-Congolian forests of Central Africa by the Dahomey Gap in Togo and Benin. This region is recognised as one of the world’s 25 most important biodiversity hotspots but has experienced severe historical deforestation. It is estimated that only 20–50% of the forest cover that existed at the beginning of the 19th century remains. Within the project zone, biodiversity faces several local threats, primarily deforestation and bushmeat hunting. The main driver of deforestation is the conversion of forest to subsistence agriculture through the bush–fallow cycle.
This process reduces the size of forest blocks and increases their isolation, leading to habitat fragmentation. Such fragmentation has cascading impacts on other species that depend on intact forest ecosystems. Many threatened species in the region have restricted ranges or depend on undisturbed primary forest, making them particularly vulnerable to forest loss. Bushmeat hunting also poses a significant threat to wildlife populations. Many primates and duikers in the project zone are targeted by hunters, and market surveys in the wider Gola area have recorded several species of high conservation concern.
Without the project, continued forest encroachment and increased hunting pressure would likely lead to habitat loss, fragmentation, and declines in wildlife populations. The project addresses these threats by conserving the forests of the Gola Rainforest National Park, Sierra Leone’s largest remaining area of Upper Guinea tropical forest. Through revenue generated from carbon credits, the project supports improved forest management, ranger patrols, and community livelihood initiatives that reduce pressure on forest resources and wildlife.
How we assess for quality
The Earthly scoring process
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