Archive: Delicate Balance: A Rainforest Threatened

Most of West Africa was once covered with lush rainforest. Most of that has now been chopped down.

One of the largest remaining tracts of forest is Sapo National Park in southeast Liberia. It is also thought to be one of the most biological diverse hotspots on the planet. The forest is incredibly remote - a ten hour drive on rough roads that are impassible during raining season. Though the region is sparsely populated, the people who live on the edges of the forest still use its resources for subsistence and inadvertently threaten the future of the park. Slash and burn farming is the only kind of agricultural activity that takes place. Bush meat hunting is illegal but remains widely practiced.

Though several NGOs are now working with people living near the forest, most people continue to live life as they always have.