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Sierra Leone rangers face a tough fight against deforestation

A National Protected Area Authority (NPAA) forest ranger starts his daily patrol into Kambui Hills Forest Reserve outside Kenema [John Wessels/AFP]

Kambui Hills Forest Reserve lies in Sierra Leone's Eastern Province, an area bordering Guinea and Liberia with large reserves of gold, rutile and diamonds. [John Wessels/AFP]

Two suspected gold miners are briefly detained by National Protected Area Authority (NPAA) forest rangers inside the reserve. [John Wessels/AFP]

Kambui is home to a diverse range of mammal species including the western chimpanzee, the black and white colobus monkey, the brush-tailed porcupine, and Maxwell's duiker - a small antelope. The lush forest also provides a habitat for threatened birds such as the white-necked rockfowl. [John Wessels/AFP]

Over the past decade and a half, the government has stepped up its conservation efforts, with the creation of the NPAA in 2012 and the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change in 2018. [John Wessels/AFP]

Part of the NPAA's mission is to engage local communities on the importance of preserving Sierra Leone's abundant flora and fauna. [John Wessels/AFP]

The unarmed rangers said that interactions with those they found in the forest could quickly turn sour. "Some of them are armed ... they have axes, they have machetes. So if you try to arrest them, they chase you," said conservation officer Jusu. [John Wessels/AFP]

Moments after spotting the riverside excavation site, the rangers apprehended two young miners who offered little resistance as their sand-covered hands were placed in cuffs. [John Wessels/AFP]

Conservation officer Jusu was well aware of the challenges in trying to change mindsets in an area where vast natural resources go hand in hand with extreme economic hardship. [John Wessels/AFP]

A diplomatic source, who requested anonymity due to their position, told AFP that economic interests largely fuelled Sierra Leone's environmental drive - with international climate finance supporting forest communities, and eco-tourism providing a much-needed cash boost. But poor coordination between government ministries, enforcement problems, and a lack of community involvement in protecting the landscapes means that deforestation continues on a large scale, they added. [John Wessels/AFP]