The Environment Protection Agency of Sierra Leone (EPA-SL), in partnership with the NBSAP Accelerator Partnership, has concluded a series of regional engagements designed to move implementation of the country’s third National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP 3.0) from national policy into district-level action. Held across four regions in July 2026 — the Northwest, Northern, Southern, and Eastern regions — the engagements supported stakeholders with technical training, the development of district implementation roadmaps, and the signing of commitment pledges to facilitate implementation.

The four engagements took place in Port Loko (13–14 July), Makeni (16–17 July), Bo (20–21 July), and Kenema (23–24 July), convening 242 participants in total. Participants included representatives of subnational district ministries, departments and agencies; local council administrations; women’s organizations; youth organizations; organizations of persons with disabilities; traditional leaders; civil society and non-governmental organizations; academia; and other relevant stakeholders. Of the 242 participants, 140 were male and 102 female.

Training sessions were held before roadmap development, giving participants a stronger understanding of biodiversity, conservation, and nature action to inform the plans they would go on to develop. Local experts hired by the NBSAP Accelerator Partnership facilitated training on ecosystem restoration, protection and conservation; species and genetic diversity management; wildlife and invasive species management; and spatial planning. Sessions were delivered in Krio, with explanations provided in the predominant native language of each region.

The local experts also developed a training manual, shared during the workshops alongside pictorial illustrations for practical working sessions. These exercises tested participants’ understanding and supported them in identifying priority actions for their district implementation plans, with feedback and group presentation sessions held in each region.

District implementation roadmaps for NBSAP 3.0 were developed for a five-year period (2026–2030), within the wider ten-year span of NBSAP 3.0 (2026–2035). Districts were asked to prioritise targets from among the 23 national targets based on their own context and immediate needs. Subsequent working sessions addressed theory of change — linking prioritised actions to long-term impact — followed by governance architecture, and finally budget and resource mobilisation. District M&E plans were also developed and linked to the roadmaps to ensure the activities identified are fully implemented.

A commitment pledge was signed by the chief administrators of local council administrations, who lead intervention at district level through the decentralisation programme. Under this commitment, local government councils will support resource mobilisation in their respective districts by working with private sector partners, drawing on proceeds from taxes received at council level, and developing project units within local councils to design bankable proposals that attract donor funding.

Next steps were agreed: compiled district plans, together with district M&E plans and signed commitment pledges, will be shared as a package with the respective chief administrators to stimulate the commencement of implementation. Each district launched its roadmap to stakeholders, and district coordination committees were enhanced or restructured to ensure all required stakeholders are involved in the process. Participants also agreed that paramount chiefs will monitor implementation of the district roadmaps and M&E plans to ensure consistency and effectiveness.