A rampant land grab engulfing Sierra Leone's capital city is threatening communities and the future of its wild chimpanzees.
Freetown, the largest port city in the country, has a population of about 1.2 million people that is expected to grow by 3 per cent every year over the next decade.
Despite this growth, the poorest communities living there, as well as rare wildlife, are vulnerable to losing land via the deforestation that is taking over the fringes of Freetown's Western Peninsula.
Deforestation caused by illegal logging and the allocation of land for development and mining has also significantly increased the threat of mudslides.
Devastation hits
In August 2017, torrential rain caused a devastating mudslide in the Babadorie River Valley that wiped out an entire community built on an area of forest illegally cleared for new homes.
According to official reports, more than 1,000 people were killed or declared missing, although the figure is feared to be even higher due to the numerous-occupancy makeshift homes that appeared a few months before.
Yanbsu Sahr, 52, had eight children aged five to 31. He lost some of his children, as well as brothers, sisters and friends in the disaster.
When the rain comes, I cannot sleep. I worry for my family.
Yanbsu Sahr,
wildlife ranger at the Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary
“I left for work at the Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary at around 6.25am,” said Mr Sahr, who is a wildlife ranger inside the protected area.
“A short time later, some of my children came to get me and said everyone had gone. I did not know what they meant so I went home with them.”
When he arrived, all he could see were rocks, stones and rubble. “There were no more houses there,” he said.
Mr Sahr said that he rescued a pregnant woman from the rubble and got her into a taxi that took her to the hospital. He then went on to tend to the dead and wait for ambulances to come.
“We did not know who they were. Many had been crushed by the rocks that came down,” he said.
Six years on, the shrine dedicated to the dead welcomes visitors to what is accepted as an undeclared cemetery, and reforestation of the area has already started, with new trees beginning to grow.
“Development is continuing and we mark these buildings to say they are built on protected areas, but nothing changes,” Mr Sahr said.
“It is a big risk but people cannot afford to leave and start somewhere new. When the rain comes, I cannot sleep. I worry for my family.”
Rampant deforestation
Despite the tragedy, deforestation continues to spill out of Freetown's city limits and locals are becoming increasingly worried about extreme weather and violent storms becoming more common.
More than 1,200 hectares out of 18,000ha of primary forest were lost between 2015 and 2020, according to satellite imagery for a World Food Programme assessment of the Western Area Peninsular Forest Reserve.
Deforestation has accelerated more since, with a further 2,850ha of forest lost in the protected area from April 2021 to February 2022.
Inside the WAPFR is the Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary, a haven for chimps rescued from the wildlife trade or that have lost their homes to deforestation.
Poachers roam the forest at night, capturing young chimpanzees to sell into the cruel international wildlife trade.
“The reality in the Western Province is that people are now encroaching into the national park,” said Bala Amarasekaran, a Sri Lankan who founded the sanctuary in 1988.
“Freetown exists because of water that comes from the mountains. If we do not protect our catchment, we are doomed.”
Despite a buffer zone being placed, land-grabbers are having “a field day”, she said.
Within earshot of the quarantine centre for recently rescued baby chimps, football commentary can be heard echoing through the trees from nearby makeshift homes that have sprung up almost overnight.
If we do not protect our catchment, we are doomed.
Bala Amarasekaran,
founder of the Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary
“The landslide was heartbreaking,” said Mr Amarasekaran, whose team cares for 115 chimpanzees.
“A week before, we were playing a football tournament near to where it happened.
“I looked at the hillside and I said: Do you realise all this is going to come down? All the foundations were going, so it was waiting to happen,” he said.
“We are a society that tries to fix problems after they have happened. We need change to be more proactive to prevent these tragedies. They are so predictable,” he said.
Short supply of manpower
The government of Sierra Leone said it is committed to protecting forests from further destruction, but with only 500 rangers on patrol, manpower is in short supply.
Lahai Keita, acting director of Environmental Emergencies at the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change, said land-grabbing in protected areas could be difficult to police.
“Once buildings get to a certain level, it becomes a legal issue to demolish or not to demolish,” he said.
“These land-grabbers come with trucks and backfill open land at night, so it is difficult for our rangers. These people are exposing themselves to danger,” he said.
At Cop26, the government said it was committed to planting 25 million trees by 2030 spread across more than 960,000ha to mitigate some of the damage.
“Landslides pose the biggest threats to makeshift homes built into hillsides illegally cleared of forest,” said Mr Keita.
Even when the military is deployed, enforcement needs to come from the community so they understand the risk, he said.
“It has become an issue of life and death,” Mr Keita said.
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Bundesliga fixtures
Saturday, May 16 (kick-offs UAE time)
Borussia Dortmund v Schalke (4.30pm)
RB Leipzig v Freiburg (4.30pm)
Hoffenheim v Hertha Berlin (4.30pm)
Fortuna Dusseldorf v Paderborn (4.30pm)
Augsburg v Wolfsburg (4.30pm)
Eintracht Frankfurt v Borussia Monchengladbach (7.30pm)
Sunday, May 17
Cologne v Mainz (4.30pm),
Union Berlin v Bayern Munich (7pm)
Monday, May 18
Werder Bremen v Bayer Leverkusen (9.30pm)
The%20Genius%20of%20Their%20Age
%3Cp%3EAuthor%3A%20S%20Frederick%20Starr%3Cbr%3EPublisher%3A%20Oxford%20University%20Press%3Cbr%3EPages%3A%20290%3Cbr%3EAvailable%3A%20January%2024%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
What it means to be a conservationist
Who is Enric Sala?
Enric Sala is an expert on marine conservation and is currently the National Geographic Society's Explorer-in-Residence. His love of the sea started with his childhood in Spain, inspired by the example of the legendary diver Jacques Cousteau. He has been a university professor of Oceanography in the US, as well as working at the Spanish National Council for Scientific Research and is a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Biodiversity and the Bio-Economy. He has dedicated his life to protecting life in the oceans. Enric describes himself as a flexitarian who only eats meat occasionally.
What is biodiversity?
According to the United Nations Environment Programme, all life on earth – including in its forests and oceans – forms a “rich tapestry of interconnecting and interdependent forces”. Biodiversity on earth today is the product of four billion years of evolution and consists of many millions of distinct biological species. The term ‘biodiversity’ is relatively new, popularised since the 1980s and coinciding with an understanding of the growing threats to the natural world including habitat loss, pollution and climate change. The loss of biodiversity itself is dangerous because it contributes to clean, consistent water flows, food security, protection from floods and storms and a stable climate. The natural world can be an ally in combating global climate change but to do so it must be protected. Nations are working to achieve this, including setting targets to be reached by 2020 for the protection of the natural state of 17 per cent of the land and 10 per cent of the oceans. However, these are well short of what is needed, according to experts, with half the land needed to be in a natural state to help avert disaster.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Company profile
Name: Back to Games and Boardgame Space
Started: Back to Games (2015); Boardgame Space (Mark Azzam became co-founder in 2017)
Founder: Back to Games (Mr Azzam); Boardgame Space (Mr Azzam and Feras Al Bastaki)
Based: Dubai and Abu Dhabi
Industry: Back to Games (retail); Boardgame Space (wholesale and distribution)
Funding: Back to Games: self-funded by Mr Azzam with Dh1.3 million; Mr Azzam invested Dh250,000 in Boardgame Space
Growth: Back to Games: from 300 products in 2015 to 7,000 in 2019; Boardgame Space: from 34 games in 2017 to 3,500 in 2019
How green is the expo nursery?
Some 400,000 shrubs and 13,000 trees in the on-site nursery
An additional 450,000 shrubs and 4,000 trees to be delivered in the months leading up to the expo
Ghaf, date palm, acacia arabica, acacia tortilis, vitex or sage, techoma and the salvadora are just some heat tolerant native plants in the nursery
Approximately 340 species of shrubs and trees selected for diverse landscape
The nursery team works exclusively with organic fertilisers and pesticides
All shrubs and trees supplied by Dubai Municipality
Most sourced from farms, nurseries across the country
Plants and trees are re-potted when they arrive at nursery to give them room to grow
Some mature trees are in open areas or planted within the expo site
Green waste is recycled as compost
Treated sewage effluent supplied by Dubai Municipality is used to meet the majority of the nursery’s irrigation needs
Construction workforce peaked at 40,000 workers
About 65,000 people have signed up to volunteer
Main themes of expo is ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’ and three subthemes of opportunity, mobility and sustainability.
Expo 2020 Dubai to open in October 2020 and run for six months
The specs: 2018 Audi R8 V10 RWS
Price: base / as tested: From Dh632,225
Engine: 5.2-litre V10
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 540hp @ 8,250rpm
Torque: 540Nm @ 6,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.4L / 100km
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
Gender equality in the workplace still 200 years away
It will take centuries to achieve gender parity in workplaces around the globe, according to a December report from the World Economic Forum.
The WEF study said there had been some improvements in wage equality in 2018 compared to 2017, when the global gender gap widened for the first time in a decade.
But it warned that these were offset by declining representation of women in politics, coupled with greater inequality in their access to health and education.
At current rates, the global gender gap across a range of areas will not close for another 108 years, while it is expected to take 202 years to close the workplace gap, WEF found.
The Geneva-based organisation's annual report tracked disparities between the sexes in 149 countries across four areas: education, health, economic opportunity and political empowerment.
After years of advances in education, health and political representation, women registered setbacks in all three areas this year, WEF said.
Only in the area of economic opportunity did the gender gap narrow somewhat, although there is not much to celebrate, with the global wage gap narrowing to nearly 51 per cent.
And the number of women in leadership roles has risen to 34 per cent globally, WEF said.
At the same time, the report showed there are now proportionately fewer women than men participating in the workforce, suggesting that automation is having a disproportionate impact on jobs traditionally performed by women.
And women are significantly under-represented in growing areas of employment that require science, technology, engineering and mathematics skills, WEF said.
* Agence France Presse
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Company profile
Name: GiftBag.ae
Based: Dubai
Founded: 2011
Number of employees: 4
Sector: E-commerce
Funding: Self-funded to date
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League, last 16, first leg
Liverpool v Bayern Munich, midnight (Wednesday), BeIN Sports
MATCH INFO
Bangla Tigers 108-5 (10 ovs)
Ingram 37, Rossouw 26, Pretorius 2-10
Deccan Gladiators 109-4 (9.5 ovs)
Watson 41, Devcich 27, Wiese 2-15
Gladiators win by six wickets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Six pitfalls to avoid when trading company stocks
Following fashion
Investing is cyclical, buying last year's winners often means holding this year's losers.
Losing your balance
You end up with too much exposure to an individual company or sector that has taken your fancy.
Being over active
If you chop and change your portfolio too often, dealing charges will eat up your gains.
Running your losers
Investors hate admitting mistakes and hold onto bad stocks hoping they will come good.
Selling in a panic
If you sell up when the market drops, you have locked yourself out of the recovery.
Timing the market
Even the best investor in the world cannot consistently call market movements.
The Outsider
Stephen King, Penguin
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
The specs
Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors
Power: 480kW
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)
On sale: Now
My Cat Yugoslavia by Pajtim Statovci
Pushkin Press
