Freetown, Sierra Leone
“Our target to increase vegetation cover by 50 percent means that we are not only planting trees but growing them. This intervention will enable us to do just that, as the private sector and residents sustain the planting through our tree investment platform.” Mayor Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr OBE
Tackling deforestation
Winner of the 2021 Global Mayors Challenge, the city of Freetown, Sierra Leone is providing monetary incentives for communities to plant, track and care for living trees to establish a tree-trading market that funds reforestation and supports local livelihoods. Over the past 50 years, Freetown has experienced rapid population growth which has resulted in the loss of millions of trees due to urban development. To counteract these tree losses, Freetown the Treetown harnesses the power of digital tools and community stewardship to replenish ecosystems and protect residents now and for generations to come.
Photo: Yasmin Metz-Johnson
“My hope is that, through the #FreetownTheTreeTown Campaign, all Freetonians will know that the survival of trees is integral to theirs,” says Valena McEwan, communications lead for the Mayor Development Unit in Freetown.
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