‘We are Scared to Say No’: Facing Foreign Timber Companies in Sierra Leone's Community Woodlands

Abstract

In recent years, ‘decentralisation’ has become an increasingly prominent theme in Sub-Saharan African development theory and practice, particularly around woodland management. Although much research has illuminated challenges arising in project design and implementation, ‘external’ threats to decentralised resource management initiatives have received little attention. At the same time, however, there has been a massive increase in foreign, particularly Chinese, corporate investment in the extraction of African resources. This paper examines the importance of the interaction between these two trends to local livelihoods and resource management through a case study of illegal logging by Chinese companies in Sierra Leone.

Acknowledgements

This work was made possible by the assistance of many people. I am grateful to the numerous Forestry Division personnel, paramount chiefs, other local leaders and other Sierra Leoneans who generously gave of their time to participate enthusiastically in the research. A few individuals deserve special thanks. Dr. Johanna Kuyvenhoven's experience and knowledge of Sierra Leone proved invaluable in establishing initial contacts and navigating various logistical complications. Pastor John Phiri's friendship and generous loans of various vehicles were a great, indeed critical, support to my research efforts. In the course of the field work I was supported extensively by the unflagging efforts and enthusiasm of Sewa ‘Marah’ Kondeh, my research assistant and now dear friend. Finally, I would like to thank Dr. René Véron and two anonymous reviewers for helpful comments on the final draft. Needless to say, the responsibility for any errors or omissions lies with myself.

Notes

Artisanal loggers' union, formed in 2005 for self-regulation and representation.

Some decentralisation reforms were initiated in the mid-1990s but were interrupted by ‘the 1997 military junta and its rebel collaborators’ (Kabbah, 2004: 2).

These comparisons are problematic because colonial-era figures are referenced without indication of classification schemes used, while current figure includes only areas considered ‘original’ forest ‘remnants’. Moreover, such claims are contradicted by authors such as Fairhead and Leach (1998) who provide substantial evidence that Sierra Leonean forest area has generally increased since 1900.

Though a number of foreign and domestic companies are involved in various legal timber operations, detailed data on these are not yet available as the research project is still in its early stages and necessarily focused on the illegal logging developments.

Beni and Lenkeh grow in small clusters throughout the Guinea Savanna. Logging operations were therefore scattered, brief, and highly mobile.

Customary gift, necessary but not sufficient for resource access – additional arrangements with town chiefs, landowners etc. are expected.

Whether in raw log sections, or timbers of roughly 30 cm × 30 cm × 200 cm, the wood of both species is very dense and heavy and transport work was done by men in pairs.

Krio term for the women's representative, generally a position of significant authority

Landowners (50%), local governments (10%), paramount chiefs (10%), chiefdom administrations (10%) National Afforestation account (20%).

‘Traditional’ position representing the concerns of young adults.

By late July the FD had already received numerous applications from timber companies.

The new policy institutes a Le1,000,000 annual chainsaw license fee and only 30 licences are to be issued.