Country Comments

Sierra Leone is one of the poorest countries in the world. The average citizen lives a subsistence existence. Even with such little consumption the population exceeds the country’s carrying capacity.

Nations Encyclopedia remarked population pressure, leading to an intensification of agriculture, has resulted in soil depletion, while lumbering, cattle grazing, and slash-and-burn farming have decimated the primary forest. Agricultural lands are gradually replacing forestlands due to the need for food by a population that increased by 80% during the period between 1963 and 1990. (1)

Mining for precious metals has additionally exacted tremendous environmental damage on the country.

President Julius Maado Bio recognizing the negative human and environmental toll unsustainable population growth was having on his country, launched a National Strategy for the Reduction of Teenage Pregnancy and Child Marriage and efforts are underway to introduce Comprehensive Sexuality Education in schools as measures to achieve better gender equality and reduce its historically high total fertility rates. In 2022 the government, which has one of the World's highest rates of maternal mortality vowed to decriminalize abortion. (2)

(1) https://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/Africa/Sierra-Leone-ENVIRONMENT.html#ixzz74BoZBCaY

(2) The New York Times, November 13, 2022