Pocknell, S.

The use of RRA in conservation expeditions: experiences from Sierra Leone

This article describes some of the RRA techniques which were used during a conservation expedition in Mount Goma Forest Reserve in north-eastern Sierra Leone. The aim was to carry out a survey of land use patterns and ecology with the indigenous Kuranko people who live adjacent to the reserve. Methods which were particularly useful included mapping, transects, oral histories and semi-structured interviews. Establishing a plant collection was another effective participatory method of discovering medicinal and food uses.