. The Conservation Atlas of Tropical Forests: Africa. Liberia Sapo National Park Sapo National Park (1308 sq. km), in south-eastern Liberia, consists almost entirely of intact rain forest. Characterised by a predominance of the overstorey timber tree Tetraberlinia titb- iiiaiiiami, the forest contains viable populations of most of the forest mammals of Liberia. Sapo is located in Sinoe County which has the lowest population density (six persons per sq. km compared with the national density of 27 people per sq. km) and growth rate ( per cent) in the country (MPEA, 1983). The park itself cont
. The Conservation Atlas of Tropical Forests: Africa. Liberia Sapo National Park Sapo National Park (1308 sq. km), in south-eastern Liberia, consists almost entirely of intact rain forest. Characterised by a predominance of the overstorey timber tree Tetraberlinia titb- iiiaiiiami, the forest contains viable populations of most of the forest mammals of Liberia. Sapo is located in Sinoe County which has the lowest population density (six persons per sq. km compared with the national density of 27 people per sq. km) and growth rate ( per cent) in the country (MPEA, 1983). The park itself contains no human settlements, so that pressure on it is mostly brought on by the logging concessions which sur- round it - through the increased hunting and farming activities necessary to provide for the labour force. Given the reckless pace of logging in Liberia during the latter half of the 1980s and the political pressure that is at the hean of the concession system, it is remarkable that Sapo has survived intact. This is due to the commitment of a few local and foreign conservationists. Because Sapo is the only national park in Liberia it has been possible for the Wildlife and National Parks section of the Forestry Development Authority to concentrate all its efforts on Sapo. The 30 or so FDA staff have been suc- cessful in protecting the area from encroachment. This has been achieved by emphasising extension and education rather than by rigorous policing and with steadily increasing benefits perceived by the people as originating from the existence of the park. Some villages to the west of the park benefit from a development fund generated from canoe tours for visitors on the Sinoe River organised by the Sapo staff. But the major generation of local sup- port for the park since 1987 has come from the Sapo Agriculture Project which has been supported by WWF and the Society for the Conservation of Nature of Liberia. This project involves village and farm-level groups or indi\'
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