The Man Who Saved a Forest: Tommy Garnett’s 25-Year Fight for Tiwai

Edited By : Widad WAHBI

Tiwai Island in Sierra Leone has officially been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, thanks to the tireless dedication of environmental activist Tommy Garnett, who has fought for 25 years to preserve and restore this biodiversity haven. Located in the southeast of the country, Tiwai Island is part of the newly recognized Gola-Tiwai complex, which includes the Tiwai Island Wildlife Sanctuary and the Gola Rainforest National Park. This marks the first time a Sierra Leonean site has been granted World Heritage status.

Surrounded by dense forest, Tiwai is home to one of the world’s highest concentrations of primates, including endangered species such as the West African chimpanzee, Diana monkey, and King colobus. The area also shelters elusive species like the pygmy hippopotamus and forest elephant. The UNESCO recognition acknowledges the site’s exceptional biodiversity, as well as its community-led conservation model.

Tommy Garnett, founder and executive director of the Environmental Foundation for Africa (EFA), has been at the forefront of efforts to protect the island. After the Sierra Leonean civil war (1991–2002) devastated the island’s wildlife and infrastructure, Garnett and his NGO spearheaded restoration efforts. “When we first arrived in 2000, the island was in ruins. Tourism and research facilities were abandoned, bullet casings littered the ground, and deforestation was rampant,” he recalls. Over the next two decades, EFA worked with local communities to rebuild, raise awareness, and promote sustainable ecotourism and environmental education.

Today, Tiwai serves as a model of biodiversity conservation and community collaboration. The island is accessible only by boat and spans 12 square kilometers, hosting 11 species of primates. It has become a hub for scientific research and a destination for eco-tourists, with tourism revenues reinvested into local livelihoods, training, and agriculture.

The Gola Rainforest, located north of Tiwai, is the largest remaining tract of rainforest in Sierra Leone. Combined with Tiwai, the Gola-Tiwai complex now forms a contiguous conservation area of global ecological importance. UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay praised the designation, calling it a “sanctuary for rare and endangered species and a model of community-based management.”

For Garnett, the journey began in his youth, growing up near majestic forests in Kono District. After studying agriculture and development economics abroad, he returned in the 1990s during the height of civil conflict. Witnessing environmental degradation firsthand, he founded EFA in 1992. Since then, he has led countless initiatives, facing down poachers and mobilizing communities.

Garnett attributes his resilience to daily yoga and meditation, maintaining the clarity and energy needed for decades of activism. Under his leadership, EFA has planted over two million trees in deforested areas of Sierra Leone, including 500,000 between 2020 and 2023 alone.

The UNESCO designation is not only a personal victory but also a national milestone. At the 47th session of the World Heritage Committee in Paris, Sierra Leone’s Minister of Environment Jiwoh Abdulai hailed it as “a historic achievement” that honors both the natural and cultural value of the landscape. He also praised Garnett as “a passionate visionary and a tremendous asset to the country.”

“Our lives, livelihoods, traditions, and identities are deeply tied to our forests. If the forest dies, a part of us dies with it. That’s why we must lead the efforts to protect these places,” Garnett said.

As Sierra Leone steps into the global spotlight for environmental leadership, the story of Tiwai Island stands as a testament to the power of perseverance, grassroots activism, and the enduring bond between people and nature.