11/11/2025
Houses on Wetlands, Forest Reserves and River Corridors – Western Area, Freetown
I mapped residential encroachment on wetlands, forest reserves and river corridors in the Western Urban and Western Rural Districts of Freetown, Sierra Leone.
✅ 166 houses built on wetlands
✅ 10,807 houses within 50 m of rivers and streams
✅ 64 houses inside gazetted forest reserves (IMATTA, Western Area National Park, incl. Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary, Western Area Peninsula Forest Reserve, Kambui Hills and Extensions)
These patterns help explain the increasing frequency and severity of flash floods in Freetown and the growing loss of lives and property during the rainy season. However, Kambui Hills and Extensions forest reserve within the Western Rural Area, where no buildings were detected inside the protected boundary. The map is intended to support planners and decision-makers in targeting enforcement, resettlement and ecosystem protection.
