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. The authors conclude that the RRA approach 'enabled us to gain insights into local ecology, resource use and attitudes that a conventional expedition would not have obtained'.