Tiwai belonged to the
Barri people until the late 19th century when the Barri
Chief, Queen
Nyarroh, gave half the Island to the
Koya Chief whose territory was on the opposite side of the
Moa River where the Island is located. From then on, both peoples have shared 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 officially 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. In 2025, the island was designated as a
World Heritage Site by
UNESCO as part of the Gola-Tiwai complex. ==Geography==