Public Disclosure Authorized RP992v4 Government of the Republic of Sierra Leone Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Security Public Disclosure Authorized LOMA MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK Preliminary Management Plan 2013-2017 Public Disclosure Authorized VOLUME I THE MANAGEMENT PLAN Public Disclosure Authorized Copies available from: Forestry Division Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Security Youyi Building Freetown Sierra Leone Recommended citation: Forestry Division (2012) Loma Mountains National Park: Preliminary Management Plan 2013-2017. Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Security, Sierra Leone This Document was developed by a team of consultants of Österreichische Bundesforste (ÖBf) AG, including Alhaji M. Siaka, Francis Hurst and Alois Schuschnigg under the supervision of the Forestry Division, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Security, Government of Sierra Leone. Financing to the GoSL for preparation of this Plan was provided by two World Bank-assisted projects – the Biodiversity Conservation Project (BCP) and the Bumbuna Hydroelectric Environment and Social Management Project (BHP) The views and proposition expressed herein are those of the Experts and do not necessarily represent any official view of the World Bank or any other organization mentioned in the Report. ÖBf AG Consulting Pummergasse 10-12 A-3002 Purkersdorf Austria www.oebfconsulting.at Preliminary Management Plan: Volume I The Management Plan i TABLE OF CONTENTS FOREWORD ......................................................................................................... 1 APPROVAL .......................................................................................................... 3 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................ 4 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ........................................................................................ 5 1. INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................. 8 1.1. Purpose of the management plan ................................................................... 8 1.2. Participatory planning process ....................................................................... 8 2. DESCRIPTION OF THE LOMA MOUNTAINS .................................................... 10 2.1. General information ..................................................................................... 10 2.1.1. Location ............................................................................................... 10 2.1.2. History of the area ................................................................................. 11 2.1.3. Boundaries ........................................................................................... 12 2.1.4. Ethno-cultural location ........................................................................... 13 2.1.5. Area in the context of national protected areas system ............................... 15 2.1.6. Accessibility .......................................................................................... 15 2.1.7. Infrastructure and equipment .................................................................. 17 2.1.8. Staffing ................................................................................................ 18 2.2. Socio-economic background ......................................................................... 19 2.3. Geo-physical information .............................................................................. 20 2.3.1. Climate ................................................................................................ 20 2.3.2. Geology and soils .................................................................................. 20 2.3.3. Hydrology ............................................................................................. 21 2.4. Biodiversity information and status ................................................................ 21 2.4.1. Integrity and connectivity to other protected areas .................................... 21 2.4.2. Mammals .............................................................................................. 23 2.4.3. Avifauna ............................................................................................... 26 2.4.4. Amphibians ........................................................................................... 27 2.4.5. Reptiles ................................................................................................ 28 2.4.6. Fish ..................................................................................................... 28 2.4.7. Arthropods............................................................................................ 28 2.4.8. Vegetation and habitats .......................................................................... 28 2.5. Ecosystem services ..................................................................................... 29 2.6. Land use and impact in the national park and surrounding community areas ...... 30 2.6.1. Settlements .......................................................................................... 31 Preliminary Management Plan: Volume I The Management Plan ii 2.6.2. Farming and livestock ............................................................................ 33 2.6.3. Non-timber forest products ..................................................................... 34 2.6.4. Hunting ................................................................................................ 35 2.6.5. Fishing ................................................................................................. 36 2.6.6. Bush fire .............................................................................................. 36 2.6.7. Mining .................................................................................................. 37 2.6.8. Human wildlife conflict ........................................................................... 38 2.7. Threats to biodiversity reduction assessment .................................................. 39 3. VISION FOR LOMA MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK ........................................ 41 4. MANAGEMENT ARRANGEMENTS .................................................................... 42 4.1. Legal and policy framework .......................................................................... 42 4.1.1. Biodiversity conservation related legal framework ...................................... 42 4.1.2. Local government related legal framework ................................................ 43 4.2. Roles and responsibilities ............................................................................. 43 4.2.1. Forestry Division ................................................................................... 43 4.2.2. Koinadugu District Council ...................................................................... 43 4.2.3. Communities ......................................................................................... 43 4.2.4. Traditional Authority .............................................................................. 45 4.2.5. Non-governmental organisations ............................................................. 45 4.2.6. Private sector ........................................................................................ 45 4.3. Governance framework ................................................................................ 48 5. MANAGEMENT OBJECTIVES AND MANAGEMENT ACTIONS ............................ 50 5.1. Objective 1: Biodiversity conservation by protection ........................................ 51 5.2. Objective 2: Biodiversity conservation by sustainable use ................................ 52 5.3. Objective 3: Sustainable socio-economic development ..................................... 55 5.4. Objective 4: An enabling implementation environment ..................................... 57 5.5. Objective 5: Financial sustainability ............................................................... 58 5.6. Objective 6: Research and monitoring ........................................................... 59 5.7. Objective 7: Environmental education ............................................................ 61 5.8. Objective 8: Effective and efficient management ............................................. 61 5.9. Objective 9: Visitor management .................................................................. 62 6. PROVISIONAL WORK PLAN ........................................................................... 64 7. MONITORING MANAGEMENT EFFECTIVENESS .............................................. 73 7.1. Management Effectiveness Tracking Tool ........................................................ 73 7.2. Biodiversity Monitoring ................................................................................. 76 7.3. Threat Reduction Assessment ....................................................................... 76 Preliminary Management Plan: Volume I The Management Plan iii 8. SUSTAINABLE FINANCING ............................................................................ 78 8.1. Costs of operation and maintenance .............................................................. 78 8.2. Cost of management plan implementation ...................................................... 78 8.3. Current funding sources ............................................................................... 78 8.3.1. Forestry Division