Sierra Leone

Stakeholder involvement

The LDN Target Setting Process (TSP) started in Sierra Leone in July 2016. The process established a Technical Working Group (TWG) comprising of members from a range of stakeholders. The Ministry of Lands, Country Planning and Environment (MLCPE) has served as the National Focal Point (NFP). Government has engaged all the stakeholders representing various ministries, NGOs, CSOs, Academic and research Institutions to boost on landscape restoration initiatives. Since then, the FLR implementation involves stakeholders of different sectors and friend countries. The implementing team of the LDN TSP in Sierra Leone, including the National Working Group and all stakeholders, finds the LDN approach as interesting, scientific, highly inspiring and thought-provoking, and generally as very rewarding to the country.

A coordinating mechanism/platform

The LDN Target Setting Process in Sierra Leone started with activities that supported the establishment/functioning of the LDN National Working Group. The activities included identification and engagement of stakeholders, organization of an inception workshop and development of a national Leverage Plan. The technical working group ensures coordination of the LDN targets implementation cross the sectors. A coordination mechanism/platform was established to further develop comprehensive tools for data collection, analysis and reporting. 

Capacity building

Landscape restoration is a learning process that needs a strong capacity building package and feedback. There is a need of consistent training programs through all the implementation period to increase capacity of key relevant staff and individuals involved in LDN implementation. Capacity Building for Sustainable Land Management, climate change and landscape restoration in Sierra Leone is of so much importance for relevant ministries. The programs should aim at building capacity for sustainable land management (SLM) in Sierra Leone by removing the key barriers and mainstreaming SLM and landscape restoration into laws, university and school curricula, and the national budget.

Partnership

Sierra Leone works with its relevant partners to upturn the implementation of forest landscape restoration in the country. Land Degradation Neutrality appeals for solid partnership and very nearby collaboration among stakeholders. This is because land degradation is at high speed and time it takes to restore that land also matters. Government of Sierra Leone coordinates partnerships through the established LDN structures and Technical Working Group ensures a timely involvement of all the stakeholders. The Government appreciates contributions and collaboration in implementing targets of Land Degradation Neutrality for the country. However government of Sierra Leone calls for all the partners including countries, international agencies, private sector, NGOs and communities to continue supporting LDN programs to be able to achieve it by 2030 as pledged.