The Western Area Peninsula National Park is in the Western Area of Sierra Leone, and where the capital city Freetown is located. The capital city’s water supply system was designed for about 400,000 people but its current population is now over 1.2 million. The WAPNP consists of a range of hills that that are about 37 km long and 14 km wide. The mountains have several peaks with the highest having a height of 900msl. The WAPNP use to be very rich in biodiversity and host about 50 mammals like the western Chimpanzee, Columbus money and more than 200 different bird species. As many capital cities in the world, Freetown is facing the problem of urbanisation and increase in food production due to urbanisation. Consequently, the Western Area Peninsula National Park (WAPNP) is facing serious degradation before the commencement of the implementation of the Western Area Peninsula Waterfund and the use of ecohydrological tools to improve the river water quality and quantity.
Raw materials: Ecosystems provide a great diversity of materials for construction and fuel including wood, biofuels and plant oils that are directly derived from wild and cultivated plant species.
Fresh water: Ecosystems play a vital role in the global hydrological cycle, as they regulate the flow and purification of water. Vegetation and forests influence the quantity of water available locally.
Carbon sequestration and storage: Ecosystems regulate the global climate by storing and sequestering greenhouse gases. As trees and plants grow, they remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and effectively lock it away in their tissues. In this way forest ecosystems are carbon stores. Biodiversity also plays an important role by improving the capacity of ecosystems to adapt to the effects of climate change.
Prior to the commencement of the implementation of the Western Area Peninsula Water Fund, a business case was developed for the restoration of the water quality and other ecological services. The business case development was informed by a study conducted to determine the economic value of the different prioritised ecosystem services that will be available between a Business-as-Usual BAU) Scenario and a Conservation Scenario. The BAU scenario depicts that the management of the WAPNP continue as it was (before the commencement of the implementation of the Water Fund) i.e., new investment is done in the protection and management of the water catchments.
Under the Conservation Scenario, several ecological principles were identified for Implementation, with some currently been implemented. Figure 6 below shows the ecological interventions in the WAPNP.
The Water fund is using the dual regulation by improving and managing the biota and as well monitoring and regulation of hydrological parameters. The project is preventing deforestation by protection, sensitisation, enforcement of the laws and policies. In addition, the project has embarked on tree planting and restoring degraded catchments. Furthermore, hydrological monitoring station has been established at the GVWC dam for the monitoring of water level, flows, and rainfall.
Social ecohydrological system
EH Objectives
EH Methodology
Catchment Ecohydrological sub-system
Objectives
Stakeholders
Catchment Sociological sub-system
Activities