When large mansions started popping up in the midst of a protected national park in Sierra Leone, many people wondered how such a thing could be possible.
An in-depth investigation has revealed that the country's own government facilitated the construction on environmentally significant, protected lands, according to The Associated Press.
What's happening?
At least 50 different mansions have appeared amid Western Area Peninsula National Park, leading to questions of how the construction had been allowed, and by whom.
An internal government examination into the matter, only recently made public, found that senior government officials had themselves handed the land rights over to wealthy private parties.
When the AP visited the site recently, some construction projects were still underway, the outlet reported.
As part of the private construction, "widespread and indiscriminate clearing of the forested areas" has taken place, according to Sierra Leone's Anti-Corruption Commission, per the AP.
Why is it important?
The protected area, where a construction ban is still nominally in place, is near a significant reservoir that provides water to 90% of the residents of nearby Freetown, Sierra Leone. The government's own report called the situation "an environmental time bomb that needs to be nipped in the bud," according to the AP.
Freetown is home to more than 1.4 million residents, according to World Population Review.
The situation has underscored the importance of protecting natural lands and also the challenges of instituting and maintaining such protections.
According to the AP, the lands where the mansions now sit consisted of rainforests as recently as 2019.
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What's being done about it?
The first step to putting an end to the illegal construction is to expose the practice and those responsible for it. Despite having been commissioned roughly four years ago, the investigation's findings have only recently been made public.
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$200 or more 💰 Authorities and environmental advocates around the world have faced similar challenges in protecting natural lands. For example, in Brazil, opponents have pushed back against the planned development of a multibillion-dollar paper and pulp mill that would be built within a designated conservation area.
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