Three-thousand-acre Tiwai Island is located in the remote Moa River area in southern Sierra Leone, with a population of 400-500 people in eight villages. The island’s rich tropical rainforest contains ecologically important tree species, including the locust bean tree, which is of significant cultural and nutritional importance to local people. The island has one of the world’s highest densities of non-human primates – 11 total, including chimpanzees and Diana monkeys – as well as African forest elephants, duikers (small antelopes) and pygmy hippopotamuses. The island also hosts a whopping 135 species of birds.

Tiwai was legally declared a wildlife sanctuary in 1987. Community members co-manage it along with the Tiwai Island Wildlife Sanctuary, the National Protected Area Authority, and the Ministry of Tourism. Revenue from ecotourism is used for community needs such as education and sanitation.

Local NGO Bangs Circular works closely with community members to deter logging, poaching, mining, and slash-and-burn farming. They also help people manage more than 300 beehives in 300 acres of mixed forest bordering the Tiwai Island Wildlife Sanctuary. The Tiwai Honey Initiative supports conservation and creates sustainable income—an alternative to logging and poaching. It is fostering a conservation ethos on the island, where each hive generates income while protecting precious habitat.

The organization will expand its program by training 120 people from three communities to turn raw beeswax into goods such as lotion, hair care products, and lip balm. These products will be sold in communities near the island. In addition, Seacology funding will establish the first community-led fish pond, providing greater economic stability and a sustainable source of protein for local families