The Diamond of Western Area is Land': Narratives of Land Use and Land Cover Change in Post-Conflict Sierra Leone

In a rapidly changing urban environment, land use and land cover change (LULCC) have occupied the research agenda of the human-environment relationship discourse for decades. Although much LULCC research has addressed non-conflict environments, narratives that shape such emerging landscapes both during and after conflict have received little attention. This article therefore explores landscape dynamics in the Western Area (WA) of Sierra Leone through nine focus group discussion sessions involving 73 participants, and 30 key informant interviews with participants drawn from ministries, government departments and agencies whose work is environment related. Drawing on these data, this study has helped establish an understanding of the main drivers of post-conflict landscape change in the WA of Sierra Leone. Findings indicate that increases in WA's population, underpinned by the decade long civil conflict, culminated in high demand for land and hence its high economic value. The article also argues that weak environmental regulation, low staff capacity and the post-conflict land management framework contributed to the landscape changes observed after the conflict.