Tiwai Island
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IUCN category IV (habitat/species management area)
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 Location of Tiwai Island in Sierra Leone
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| Location | Southern Province Sierra Leone |
| Nearest city | Kenema |
| Coordinates | 7°32′39″N 11°20′56″W / 7.54413°N 11.34878°WCoordinates: 7°32′39″N 11°20′56″W / 7.54413°N 11.34878°W |
| Area | 1,200 hectares (12 km2) |
| Established | 1 January 1987 |
| Governing body | Environmental Foundation for Africa |
Tiwai Island (Mende for 'Big Island') is a wildlife sanctuary and tourist site in Sierra Leone. Run by the non-governmental organization Environmental Foundation for Africa, Tiwai is 12 square kilometers in area and located on the Moa River in the Southern Province. It is also one of the largest inland islands in the country.
Tiwai belong to the Barri people until the late 19th century when Queen Nyarroh the Barri Chief gave half the Island to the Koya Chief whose territory was on the opposite side of the River Moa River where the Island is located. From then on both peoples share ownership of the Island. In the late 1970s the Island was recognised as a special biosphere for wildlife conservation. Numerous natural scientists visited the island during the 1970s and 1980s, researching various aspects of its flora and fauna. Subsequently, some researchers along with the Barri and Koya people then requested that it became a wildlife sanctuary and in 1987 it was official designated a game reserve. Activities including community conservation program, ecological research, wildlife management, tourism and forestry management training took place on the Island. Then, in 1991 civil war broke out in Sierra Leone financial support for the Tiwai was stopped and researchers and tourists were unable to reach the Island. After the end of the civil war the Environmental Foundation for Africa, a local Sierra Leonean NGO, rebuilt both tourism and researcher facilities on the island.
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