By Joseph Momoh
The Environment Protection Agency (EPA) has launched a fresh national push to restore protected areas and safeguard Sierra Leone’s ecosystems, as it moves to finalise a practical plan for the country’s Third National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP 3.0).
The strategy was shaped at a two-day stakeholders’ workshop held at the New Brookfields Hotel in Freetown, supported by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the NBSAP Accelerator Partnership.
The meeting brought together representatives from government ministries, departments and agencies, academia, development partners, civil society organisations, local councils and the private sector to review and refine how NBSAP 3.0 will be rolled out.
According to the EPA, the workshop builds on earlier nationwide consultations that gathered views from local communities to inform the development of the strategy.
The NBSAP 3.0 is designed to guide national efforts to protect biological diversity, ensure sustainable use of natural resources, reduce pollution, strengthen institutional capacity and mobilise funding for biodiversity-related programmes.
Officials said the implementation plan will be Sierra Leone’s primary tool for meeting its obligations under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and delivering on the targets of the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF). It will also address challenges that hampered the previous NBSAP 2.0.
Participants reviewed sector plans and ongoing interventions by MDAs linked to global biodiversity targets, working to align them with national development priorities.
Through working group sessions, they identified priority actions including a national biodiversity assessment, restoration of degraded protected areas, community training, expanded public awareness campaigns, inclusive spatial planning, and protection of water catchments, forests and carbon reservoirs.
Other actions proposed include strengthening ecosystem services to support livelihoods and climate resilience.
The EPA said the draft action plans will be collaboratively reviewed and finalised, with a National Delivery Forum for NBSAP 3.0 expected to be convened to coordinate implementation across all sectors.
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