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Article 25 : Development in Africa

Conservation Development, eastern Sierra Leone

'Article 25: the built environment's charity'



Monthly Report by Robin Cross, Director of Projects for Article 25
Written for www.e-architect.co.uk

3 Aug 2009

Gola Forest

The Rainforest Canopy:


Article 25, the architectural NGO and charity working in International Development and Disaster Relief, specialises in post-disaster and post-war reconstruction. Already active in Sierra Leone planning the reconstruction of the primary school infrastructure, Article 25 have been invited to provide architectural expertise to an innovative conservation based development in the remote Gola rainforest of eastern Sierra Leone.

Unsustainable Farming Practices Which Challenge the Future of Forests:


So an extraordinary rainforest in the West African state of Sierra Leone was the site of Article 25's work for two weeks in July. The Gola Forest was recently established as a National Park and as a 'Trans-Boundary Peace Park' by the presidents of Sierra Leone and Liberia. This National Park represents a significant and innovative strategy to ally conservation and peace-building in these two nations, both deeply scarred by recent civil wars. The Park is the initiative of the RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) and CSSL (The Conservation Society of Sierra) and the Government of Sierra Leone to conserve the habitat and encourage sustainable development. Article 25 are providing the masterplanning and construction design for new conservation facilities and sustainable settlements. The project to protect Gola is funded by the European Union and French Global Environment Facility.

The Future Guardians of Gola Forest Drawing the Animals of the Rainforest:


Gola Forest comprises 74,800 Hectares of primary and secondary rainforest habitat. The forest is home to dozens of endangered and rare species, and is an essential migration corridor for numerous other species. Article 25 were working in a realm of nature red in tooth and claw, an impression reinforced constantly as our guides hacked out paths with their machetes, leaving perfectly severed branches dripping with blood-red tannin. Monkeys catapult through the treetops - usually too quickly to see, while yellow-casqued hornbills take off at intervals like pterodactyls.
Huge, spiral shelled molluscs that look like they belong on the bed of a deep sea ocean are found dragging their shells across the dark and leafy forest floor. The elusive Picathartes bird, which brought David Attenborough to West Africa on his first mission with BBC television 50 years ago, hides out in the deeper reaches of the forest.

Homes Damaged in the 10 year Civil War:


Article 25's construction programme will break ground in November - the beginning of the dry season - with the Headquarters, Visitor Centre and manager's quarters to be completed in phase 1. Staff accommodation to house the conservation staff will follow in phase 2, and building of civic facilities of a school, clinic and market will follow the year after.

Traditional Village Homes of Eastern Sierra Leone:


Article 25 carried out a full suite of participation workshops with both local communities and current project staff who would work and live in the completed project. We trekked through the forest to locate potential construction sites and opportunities for hydro-generation points, until finally a site was chosen for the Headquarters on a wooded hilltop offering vantage points across the surrounding landscape, and a staff accommodation site on an area left derelict by unsustainable slash and burn agriculture. The rehabilitation of land outside the park to allow improved sustainable agriculture will form part of the masterplan.

Traditional and Contemporary Materials of Construction:


Article 25's brief is to develop a masterplan to elevate the Gola Forest to the status of a National Park of international standing, both in the biodiversity of the habitat being preserved and quality of the centre and staff facilities being provided. Opportunities for trade, training, and employment are being sensitively introduced in collaboration with the existing local communities. A wider ambition to generate livelihoods and promote a better understanding of sustainable forestry and agriculture to the local communities will offer an attainable route out of poverty and grant Gola residents a real opportunity for self-determination.

Patchwork of Construction Materials


Robin Cross BA(Hons) DipArch(Dist) ADPP(Dist) ARB
Director of Projects, Article 25



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