Tiwai Island

Context:

Tiwai Island, located in the Moa River in south-eastern Sierra Leone (West Africa), is a small forested island known for its rich biodiversity, especially primates. Once nearly destroyed during the country's civil war (1991–2002), it has now been added to UNESCO's World Heritage list due to successful community-led conservation efforts.

Where is Tiwai Island?

Tiwai Island is located in Sierra Leone, a small country on the west coast of Africa, bordering the Atlantic Ocean. The island lies within the Moa River, in the southeastern part of the country.
The island is just 12 square kilometers in size.
It is part of a larger biodiversity-rich region called the Gola-Tiwai Complex, which also includes the Gola Rainforest National Park, the largest remaining tropical rainforest in Sierra Leone.
Tiwai Island is now globally recognized because of its extraordinary biodiversity:
- It is home to 11 species of primates, including endangered western chimpanzee, Diana monkey, king colobus monkey
- Other rare species include Pygmy hippopotamus (a shy forest-dwelling species); critically endangered African forest elephant