The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) has approved a new Interim Forest Stewardship Standard for Sierra Leone, marking a significant step toward strengthening sustainable forest management and responsible sourcing of forest products in the country.
The standard was endorsed on October 2, 2025, and is scheduled to take effect on March 15, 2026. It provides a comprehensive framework to guide forest managers and businesses in aligning Sierra Leone’s timber and forestry sector with internationally recognised sustainability standards.
The approval comes as Sierra Leone intensifies its environmental protection efforts through the Protect Sierra Leone Programme, launched in early 2025 under the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change. The programme is aimed at conserving biodiversity and supporting the global “30 by 30” target, which seeks to protect 30 per cent of the world’s land and oceans by 2030.
The new FSC standard is expected to support several of Sierra Leone’s international climate and land restoration commitments. These include the AFR100 pledge to restore 0.7 million hectares of degraded land by 2030, efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 10 per cent by 2030 and 25 per cent by 2050, and initiatives to address the loss of approximately 2.17 million hectares of tree cover recorded between 2001 and 2024.
In addition to conservation goals, the Interim Forest Stewardship Standard is designed to strengthen Sierra Leone’s green economy by promoting decent employment opportunities for local communities. Through independent verification of responsible forest management, the standard seeks to ensure the protection of biodiversity across ecosystems such as mangroves and rainforests, safeguard the land rights of local communities, and support sustainable livelihoods through the responsible trade of forest products.
Patrick Epie, FSC Coordinator for the Congo Basin and West Africa, described the approval as a major milestone for the country and the wider region. He said the development reinforces Sierra Leone’s commitment to sustainable forest governance and contributes to regional efforts to align forest management practices with global sustainability objectives.
With forest cover estimated at about 14.7 per cent and vast areas of wooded land, Sierra Leone is now better positioned to harness its forest resources responsibly while ensuring their preservation for future generations.