Community-Based Restoration & CEEComs

In 2025, YICA-SL transitioned from primarily awareness-raising and advocacy to direct, community-based environmental action — beginning with a comprehensive field assessment in Kono District.

The Kono field assessment

Kono is historically known for diamond mining, but unregulated artisanal mining has expanded into wetland areas that communities depend on for rice cultivation and water. In August 2025, YICA-SL partnered with Nature for Mangroves to document the damage and identify restoration opportunities in two communities: Bumbeh (Nimikoro Chiefdom) and Kayima (Sandor Chiefdom).

What the assessment found

• Large-scale destruction of wetland ecosystems that previously supported rice cultivation
• Abandoned mining pits creating safety hazards and disrupting water flow
• Soil degradation rendering productive land unusable, and sedimentation affecting water quality
• Loss of farming land forcing families into food insecurity or migration — with women particularly affected
• A critical governance gap: no community-level mechanisms to monitor compliance or report violations

The CEECom model

From these findings, YICA-SL developed Chiefdom Environmental Enforcement Coordination Committees (CEEComs) — community-owned monitoring structures that:

• Provide local monitoring capacity through trained community volunteers
• Connect communities with Environmental Protection Agency reporting mechanisms
• Enable documentation of violations for evidence-based advocacy
• Link traditional authorities with formal enforcement to create accountability