Sierra Leone's economy depends heavily on natural resources like agriculture and is threatened by climate hazards. The national adaptation plan aims to mainstream climate adaptation into development goals. It focuses on community-based adaptation and disaster management. Tools used include action research, training, advocacy, and early warning systems. Challenges include limited capacity, financing, experimentation, and coordination. The presentation hopes to learn from other countries' experiences and identify integrated adaptation and disaster management programs.

1. NAP - GSP
SNAP SHOT PRESENTATION ON NATIONAL
ADAPTATION PLAN ON CLIMATE CHANGE
IN SIERRA LEONE
SIERRA LEONE
15TH April, 2014

2. Overview of Climate Change Adaptation in
Sierra Leone
 Sierra Leone economy depends heavily on its natural resources.
Agriculture is the largest economic sector, contributing to more
than 45% of GDP and employing over 70% of the labor force.
 Due to unsustainable use of the natural resources basis and as a
result of the civil war, the environment of Sierra Leone has been
severely degraded due to deforestation through slash and burn
agriculture, mining, illegal logging, charcoal burning and fuel wood
collection and unauthorized development resulting to biodiversity
loss, habitat destruction & fragmentation, fresh water pollution and
coastal erosion.
 The impacts of climate change in Sierra Leone are already visible
which is threatened by climatic hazards such as altered rainfall
patterns, deforestation, seasonal droughts, landslides, heat waves
etc.

3. Climate Change Adaptation Continues
 In Sierra Leone, the national adaptation program of action (NAPA) on climate
change adaptation is in the process of being developed. The objective is to
mainstream climate change adaptation into the 8 pillars of the Agenda for
Prosperity. The focus is in two key areas;
1. Community based adaptation, which is geared towards poverty alleviation and
social strengthening.
2. Disaster management, which looks at four issues and operates more at
national scales.
(I) Disaster risk deduction.
(II) Disaster risk absorption.
(III) Disaster risk avoidance. and
(IV) Disaster risk containment.
 The general tools used for climate change adaptation in Sierra Leone includes
(I) Action research .
(II) Training and capacity building.
(III) Advocacy and policy influencing (social marketing).
(IV) Resilience building
(v) Early warning systems

4. Our Entry Point
• The government of Sierra Leone has established a
number of MDA’s such as:
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA-SL)
Disaster Management Department (ONS)
Meteorological Department (MTA)
Ministry of Water Resource
MAFFS
The NIE committee has been set up

5. Success and Experience on NAP (example)
• Example 1
 Health - Community and ecosystemhealth improvement through a communitybased health initiative.
It looks on how communities deal with malaria outbreaks by introducing specific fish species that feeds
on mosquitoes larvae in river areas. The process is called biological modification.
Tools/methods used
Action research /livelihood diversification.
• Example 2
Sensitization and awareness raising campaigns on climate change impacts on women relating to the
three conventions of biodiversity, desertification and UNFCCC. This project is supported by the EPA,
UNDP and the EU which is ongoing.
Tools/Method used
social marketing and policy advocacy. (Awareness raising and policy influencing for both mitigation
and disaster management in coastline communities).
• Example 3
Establishmentof National Early Warning Systems (ongoing project by UNDP, GEF, and MAFFS)
Tools/Method used
• training and capacity building

6. Challenges
• Examples
1. Capacity building
2. sustainable financing .
3. little room for community based
experimentation.
4. poor linkage with community and national level
mechanisms.
5. overlap in climate change messaging

7. Expectations from Training Workshop
• Expectation 1
• To draw from lessons leant from other countries
• Expectation 2
• To understand the various approaches to climate
change adaptation especially for poverty
alleviation and food security
• Expectation 3
• To identify ways of presenting an integrated
climate change adaptation and disaster
management programme in Sierra Leone.

8. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION