This book elucidates the status and effect of forestry management practices in three selected axes in Sierra Leone, addressing the root causes of pressure on resources. It aims to improve understanding of how forestry management programmes are being conceived, designed and developed; and provides critical feedback on the effectiveness and appropriateness of projects implemented under the government decentralization strategy. The book combines conservation with the development of livelihoods that use resources. It investigates whether the utilization of forest resources initiatives is supported by the vision 2025 strategy and promoted by national and international developmental agencies; government and large-scale logging and mining companies in Sierra Leone are having a positive impact on forest edged communities. It further looked at whether these initiatives are reducing participation in illegal activities, and the extent to which they are alleviating rural poverty in the country more widely. An essential read for anyone with interest in issues on development and environment.

Uzebba Christiana Kanu is a lecturer in Geography at Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone. She studied both at home and the United Kingdom. She did her Masters degree at the University of Sussex in Rural Development and later pursues a split-site PhD at the University of Manchester. She conducted the research underlying this book.