Sierra Leone

Friday, September 2025

By Lucie PEYTERMANN, with Saidu BAH on Tiwai Island

Surrounded by lush forest home to one of the world’s highest concentrations of primates, activist Tommy Garnett gazes with joy at Tiwai Island in Sierra Leone, which on Sunday, July 13, 2025, was added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List. It is a treasure trove of biodiversity that he has saved and restored over the past 25 years in the face of civil war, pandemics, and the scourges of deforestation and poaching.

“I am very happy, relieved, and hopeful” about the future of these sites, he said from Tiwai a few days before the UNESCO vote. Tommy Garnett, 66, founded the NGO The Environmental Foundation for Africa (EFA) in 1992 and is its executive director.

This charismatic activist has dedicated his life to environmental protection projects in West Africa, particularly in Sierra Leone and Liberia. Together with his NGO, he is the architect of the restoration of the environmental integrity of Tiwai, which was on the verge of destruction.

The Gola-Tiwai complex—comprising the Tiwai Reserve and the Gola Rainforest National Park in southeastern Sierra Leone—was added to the World Heritage List on Sunday following a vote by UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee.

This is the first time that Sierra Leone has been recognized by UNESCO for one of its sites.

Gola-Tiwai is “emblematic for its diversity and density of primates,” including endangered species such as the West African chimpanzee, the royal colobus monkey, and the Diana monkey. Its environment is also home to the elusive pygmy hippopotamus and forest elephant, both endangered species.

“The Gola-Tiwai complex is a jewel of biodiversity, a sanctuary for rare and endangered species, and a model of community management,” said UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay in a statement to the press on Sunday.

– “Success story” –

Tiwai and its wildlife sanctuary, managed by the NGO EFA, are a “success story” in this West African country with spectacular biodiversity, but which is suffering from alarming deforestation due to the proliferation of illegal human activities.

This inland island, accessible only by boat, measures 12 square kilometers and is home to no fewer than 11 species of primates.

EFA has enabled Tiwai to become a center for scientific research on biodiversity, an ecotourism destination, and a tool for environmental education for young people, thanks to collaboration with local communities that have given up certain activities to protect the forest.

Revenues from tourism are reinvested in the local population (jobs, training, agricultural assistance, etc.).

The Gola ecosystem, located several dozen kilometers north of Tiwai, is the largest expanse of precious tropical rainforest in Sierra Leone.
UNESCO’s decision is a recognition of Tommy Garnett’s tireless commitment.
During the civil war in Sierra Leone (1991-2002), when Tiwai’s wildlife had been almost entirely decimated, the activist, his NGO, and his donors saved the island.
“When we first came to Tiwai in 2000, all the tourism and research infrastructure was in a state of disrepair, the island’s soil was covered with empty ammunition cartridges, and people had started cutting down trees,” he recalls. “We sounded the alarm: this place was disappearing…”
The environmentalist then fought to find funding to rebuild and raise awareness among local communities. In 2006, they agreed to allow the site to become a place for ecotourism and research once again. And for 19 years, Mr. Garnett and his NGO have been working to preserve this haven of biodiversity, facing the Ebola epidemic, Covid-19, and destructive storms.

– “Responsibility” –

“Our lives, our livelihoods, our culture and our traditions are so inextricably linked to the forest that if the forest dies, a large part of us dies with it; that is why we have a responsibility to lead efforts to protect these sites,” he says.
With an athletic build honed by cycling and yoga, Tommy Garnett has a warm and welcoming manner.
Born in 1959 in the rural district of Kono (east), he lived there until he was 18. One of his “first powerful life experiences” was growing up next to a “majestic forest.” “This childhood memory has been a driving force.”
After studying agriculture and development economics abroad, he decided in the early 1990s to “return home” to “reconnect with his family” and help his country while war was raging.
He began working in the environmental protection sector after becoming aware of the destruction of nature during the conflict, in which armed groups fought over mineral resources (particularly diamonds) and mining rights to finance themselves.
For 30 years, the activist has been traveling with his colleagues through the country’s forests, confronting traffickers and holding numerous meetings with communities.
He says his tenacity and patience are sustained by a daily practice of yoga and meditation.

Over the past 20 years, more than two million trees have been planted in deforested areas in Sierra Leone by EFA, says Mr. Garnett, including 500,000 between 2020 and 2023 alone.
This inscription is a “historic milestone” that honors “the unique cultural and natural value of these landscapes,” Sierra Leone’s Minister of Environment Jiwoh Abdulai said emotionally on Sunday, speaking in Paris after the vote.
It is also “proof of Sierra Leone’s commitment to engaging in environmental protection programs.”
“Africa is increasingly able to tell its own story and narratives, which are rooted in the diversity of its ecosystems, the resilience of its peoples, and the profound richness of its heritage,” he continued.
The minister paid tribute to the commitment of Tommy Garnett, “a passionate individual” and “a tremendous asset” to Sierra Leone.
“The whole country is grateful to him,” the minister said with admiration.

Humaniterre with AFP