Illustrated map of Bo City

Bo City is the second largest town in Sierra Leone. It boasts an array of urban natural assets, in the form of streams, wetlands, trees and woodlands. The city’s entire wetland area is estimated to be around 732 hectares, with all of Bo City’s 25 sections having at least one wetland within its boundary. These wetlands play a significant role in the city’s food production, with more than 60% of economic activities taking place in or around wetlands, where rice cultivation is most prominent. More than half of the city’s households depend on wetlands for their livelihood, highlighting the strong connection between the right to food and the right to a clean,healthy and sustainable environment.

This map explores key areas of overlap and interconnection between urban natural assets and human activity – from wetlands and rice cultivation, to beaches and sand mining. By recognising this inextricable link between our own wellbeing and the wellbeing of our natural environment, we can visualize the importance of preserving and maintaining the city’s natural resources to ensure that people can continue to benefit and rely on them, while living in harmony with nature, both now and in the future.