The Western Area National Park Forest is home to rich biodiversity and a good source of ecosystem services. It houses the Guma Water Dam, the only source of pipe-borne water for nearby Freetown, a city of 2 million residents.

Despite its ecological and socio-economic benefits, the Forest is challenged with rampant deforestation associated with poor urban planning but mostly economic activities such as charcoal production, timber logging, firewood collection, etc.

The project therefore seeks to address these challenges by:

1. Raising community awareness through the training of community youths on environmental management

2. strengthening the work of the forest guards through capacity building

3. planting 10,000 trees to restore degraded areas within the forest

4. training and supporting 50 women on alternative livelihood