Gola-Tiwai Complex

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Gola-Tiwai Complex: A Biodiversity Haven in West Africa

The Gola-Tiwai Complex, inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2025, is a significant conservation area located in the eastern region of Sierra Leone. Comprising the Gola Rainforest National Park (GRNP) and the Tiwai Island Wildlife Sanctuary, this serial property forms part of the expansive Upper Guinean Forest, a global biodiversity hotspot spanning from Guinea to Togo.

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UNESCO Description of the World Heritage Site

This serial property includes the Gola Rainforest National Park and the Tiwai Island Wildlife Sanctuary. Part of the Greater Gola Landscape, it lies within the Upper Guinean Forest, a biodiversity hotspot. The area hosts more than 1,000 plant species (113 endemic), 55 mammals (19 globally threatened), and key species like the African Forest Elephant and Pygmy Hippopotamus. It also supports up to 448 bird species, including the endangered White-necked Rockfowl. Rich in freshwater fish, butterflies, and dragonflies, the site provides vital habitats and ecosystem services, reflecting high conservation value and ecological integrity.

UNESCO Justification of the World Heritage Site

Criterion (ix): The Gola-Tiwai Complex lies within the area of highest rainfall in the Upper Guinean Forest zone. It is the westernmost surviving block of intact moist tropical forest in the Guinean Forests of West Africa biodiversity hotspot. As a result of the unique hydrological conditions, the Northern Upper Guinea area has been designated as a distinct freshwater ecoregion characterised by tropical and subtropical coastal rivers with an intricate hydrological network. The Northern Upper Guinea freshwater ecoregion has a distinct fish fauna and high levels of endemism in other taxonomic groups. For instance, the regional rivers of the Upper Guinea freshwater ecoregion, including those of the Gola-Tiwai Complex, are a cradle for Tilapia evolution. The forest structure in the Gola-Tiwai Complex shares many characteristics with the broader Upper Guinean Forest coastal belt in which it is located. It also shares plant species with Mount Nimba and other forests to the northeast and with remaining forest fragments to the northwest that are not present at sites further east. Once part of a single contiguous forest extending to the northwest, northeast and southeast, the Greater Gola Landscape shares characteristics and species with other remaining fragments, thanks to its central location, whilst being distinct from the other fragments. The probable reason for this is the expansion and contraction of forests over time caused by changes to the global climate. This evolutionary process helps explain the high species richness and endemism of the Greater Gola Landscape and provides continued resilience in the face of climate change and the continuing fragmentation of the Upper Guinean Forest.

Criterion (x): As a result of the landscape characteristics and ecological processes described above, the Gola-Tiwai Complex is correspondingly unique when it comes to the diversity of its habitats and biodiversity, notably of its freshwater fish, bats, butterflies and orchids. The most important family of freshwater fish in the Gola-Tiwai Complex are Cichlidae, consisting of the two genera Tilapia and Sarotheradon. Eight Tilapia species occur in the average Sierra Leonean river basin, which stands out among other African lakes and river basins. Primate biomass in the Gola-Tiwai Complex is among the highest in the world. The highly threatened chimpanzee subspecies, the Western Chimpanzee, whose population trend overall is on the decline, occurs in the Gola-Tiwai Complex at comparatively higher densities than elsewhere and is one of just seven exceptionally stable or high Western chimpanzee density sites and is an important area for the survival of the subspecies. The Greater Gola Landscape, of which the Gola-Tiwai Complex is part, is also a stronghold for the equally threatened Forest Elephant in west Africa. The rich bird fauna of the Gola-Tiwai Complex includes up to 448 species including globally important populations of the White-breasted Guineafowl, the Timneh Parrot and the flagship White-necked Rockfowl which nests on rock faces under the forest canopy and whose survival in this landscape may be due in part to its cultural significance for the local Mende people. Thanks to its steep slopes and rocky outcrops, the Gola-Tiwai Complex includes an abundance of habitats suitable for nests of the White-necked Rockfowl. Invertebrates include over 500 species of butterfly and 140 species of dragonflies and damselflies.

Encyclopedia Record: Gola Rainforest National Park

The Gola Rainforest National Park (GRNP) protects Sierra Leone's largest tract of rainforest. It covers 71,070 ha in the east of the country. It forms part of the Upper Guinea Forest, a biodiversity hotspot that stretches from Guinea to Togo.

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