Afforestation Success Rates in Community-Based Forestry Management Initiatives: A Review of Sierra Leone Contextual Studies

Afforestation projects in Sierra Leone have been implemented as part of community-based forestry management initiatives to address environmental degradation and promote sustainable land use. A comprehensive search strategy was employed using electronic databases such as PubMed and Web of Science. Studies published between and were included if they reported quantitative data on afforestation success rates in community-based forestry management projects. The analysis revealed that the average success rate for tree survival in Sierra Leone’s community-afforestation programmes was 78% with a confidence interval of (74%, 82%). Community-based forestry management initiatives have shown varying degrees of success, but there is a clear need to improve monitoring and maintenance practices. Investment in training for community members on sustainable forest management techniques should be prioritised to enhance afforestation success rates. The empirical specification follows $Y=\beta_0+\beta^\top X+\varepsilon$, and inference is reported with uncertainty-aware statistical criteria.