Freetown, Sierra Leone –The Sustainable and Thriving Environments for West Africa Regional Development Program (STEWARD), a joint initiative of the U.S. Agency for International Development and the U.S. Forest Service International Program in conjunction with the Mano River Union, is coming to an end after successfully working to improve natural resources management in the Upper Guinean Tropical Forest since 2007. STEWARD has helped to build a constituency for forest conservation and strengthen sustainable livelihoods in trans-boundary priority zones in Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Côte d’Ivoire.

The Upper Guinea Tropical Forest ecosystem is a high global priority for biodiversity conservation, and for serving as a source of ecosystem goods and services, including water resources, fisheries, timber, and non-timber forest products critical to the cultural values and welfare of West African societies.

Phase III of STEWARD, which began in October 2011, focused on promoting sustainable livelihoods in communities adjacent to forests, assisting in the development and implementation of forest management plans on community lands, and developing climate-resilient water, sanitation and hygiene systems among rural populations. Key accomplishments of STEWARD Phase III include:

• As a result of increased community awareness of the relationship between ecosystem integrity and human welfare, 500,000 hectares of biologically significant areas and natural resources are under improved natural resources management, laying the foundation for this management to become sustainable.
• 30,000 people, including 10,500 women, have increased incomes derived from sustainable natural resource management and conservation.
• 13,500 people have increased knowledge, skills and tools to better cope at the community level with the adverse impacts of climate change, while at the same time slowing carbon emissions by better managing bush fires to prevent them from becoming catastrophic.
• The Mano River Union (MRU) secretariat now has Geographical Information Systems tools and technical knowledge critical to informed policy decision making.

In addition, STEWARD Phase III provided infrastructure for drinking water to many communities in the MRU states—including Sanya, Samaya, Moria, Dumbaya, Madina Oula, Kansema, Sekousouria, and Bossou— which is critical to the post-ebola response. This has benefited at least 50,000 people, including 20,000 women who no longer must scout for water from dawn to dusk, and 24,000 children who no longer must accompany their mothers to carry water instead of going to school.

STEWARD implementing partners have included CARE International Sierra Leone, AUDER, Bioclimate, Thomson Reuters, PCI-Media Impact, and Flora and Fauna International.