Guinea

Guinea's environmental objectives are to increase forest cover and reduce the number of endangered species, while aiming for accelerated growth in the primary sector to reduce poverty and food insecurity among the population.

NATIONWIDE MOBILIZATION

National Workshop

02 August 2021

The Maringa Hotel in Kindia

The national kick-off workshop for the BIODEV2030 project brought together 66 participants to present and confirm the diagnosis of threats to biodiversity in Guinea. In his welcome address, the Director of the Cabinet of the Governorate of Kindia emphasised the need to address the challenges of biodiversity conservation through an in-depth analysis of the threats and economic sectors affecting biodiversity, in order to provide solutions.

Kick-off workshop on 2 August 2021 at the Maringa Hotel in Kindia, Guinea.


Diagnosis

The Republic of Guinea comprises four natural regions, each with its own distinct characteristics. Lower Guinea, or Guinea Maritime, Middle Guinea, made up of mountain ranges, Upper Guinea, which includes the upper basin of the Niger River and its main tributaries, and Forest Guinea in the southeast. The country has a tropical climate, with two alternating seasons (dry and rainy), whose duration varies from region to region. With a dense hydrographic network of over 1,100 rivers in 23 river basins, 14 of which are international, Guinea is also known as the “Water tower of West Africa”.

Guinea is home to numerous terrestrial ecosystems such as mountains, dense rainforests, dense dry forests, rich in biodiversity but fragile, as well as savannahs, forest plantations and, agrosystems. Guinea also offers prime shelters for a unique biodiversity in West Africa, notably in its relic rainforests classified as high biodiversity areas (hotspot). The Guinean dense dry forest, which covers the northern half of Guinea with the exception of Fouta-Djalon, is affected by bushfires and land clearing, and contains what is undoubtedly the richest mammalian fauna in the country, with animals such as lions, panthers, antelopes, deer, agoutis, hares, etc.

Illegal harvesting and unsustainable exploitation of resources in general, as well as unsustainable agricultural systems and practices (slash-and-burn) in particular, create significant environmental pressures. Water resources are threatened by pollution due to urbanisation, industry, waste production, and agriculture, leading to reduced flows and silting of riverbeds. Uncontrolled exploitation of forests and mangroves is leading to a decline in vegetation cover and loss of biodiversity. In addition, industrial and small-scale mining are also contributing to air, soil and water pollution, degrading the Guinean landscape. Illiteracy, pressure from population growth, and the political and economic context are other factors in the loss of biodiversity identified by the country.

3,999 species

assessed 128 of which are endemic

537 species

threatened of which 110 are endemic according to the IUCN Red List (2021-2)

THE BIGGEST THREATS WORLDWIDE:

(source: IUCN Red List 2021-2)

Agriculture – annual and perennial non-timber crops – smallholders
Residential and commercial development – housing and urban areas
Energy production and mining – mines and quarries
Use of biological resources – logging and timber gathering

Access to IBAT informations

KEY POINTS:

Reducing anthropogenic threats has four times the potential of biodiversity restoration when it comes to reducing the risk of species extinction in Guinea.

Practices that threaten biodiversity include shortening of fallows, shifting cultivation, overgrazing, overfishing, uncontrolled harvesting of wood resources, smoking of fish, mining and associated pollution.

Actions to reduce over-exploitation of resources and to make agricultural, forestry, mining and fishery systems sustainable are therefore a top priority.

  • Agriculture: rice growing and fruit and vegetable crops
  • Forestry: timber and wood for fuel
  • Mining: gold and bauxite
Cloud of the most frequently used words in the report of the national biodiversity threat assessment in Guinea

Policy brief – Recommendations to mainstream biodiversity into economic sectors in Guinea (FR)

Reports – In-depth sectoral analysis and commitments’ identification for biodiversity in Guinea (FR)

ACCESS TO ALLDOCUMENTARY RESOURCES OF GUINEA