Conservation of threatened tree species in three Tropical Important Plant Areas (TIPAs) of Guinea
Improving the conservation status of 13 threatened tree species in Guinea.
Endemic and near-endemic tree species and the habitats in which they occur are heavily impacted by human activities in Guinea (West Africa). They need urgent conservation attention to prevent globally unique species to be lost forever.
This new project builds on the outcomes and collaboration of the recent Darwin Initiative funded project which identified 22 Tropical Important Plant Areas (TIPAs) and 9 threatened habitat types in Guinea, producing IUCN Red List assessments for many of Guinea’s 273 indigenous threatened plant species; and the GBIF data mobilization grant that produced Conservation Action Plans (CAPs) for 20 species.
In this new project, our focus is on improving the conservation status of 13 threatened tree species by establishing tree nurseries to support reforestation in three TIPAs in collaboration with the local communities. We aim to reduce threats by fire to the target tree species by 50% in the three TIPAs by implementing fire breaks.
In collaboration with our Guinean government partners, we also aim to achieve policy change on in-situ conservation through the creation and acceptance of a National Action Plan which will provide official protected status for 27 globally threatened tree species in Guinea, and which will include them in forest reforestation programmes.
Lastly, in order to have a lasting impact, we aim to create public awareness, especially amongst schoolchildren, to the fact that: (1) Guinean rare and endemic tree species exist, and (2) are highly threatened by human activities and should be protected. We will be creating three school nurseries and working with them to plant and monitor threatened tree species over time. We also aim to provide new opportunities to improve livelihoods through cultivation of native tree species by local communities for inclusion in reforestation programmes.
Project Leader
Project Team
Herbier National De Guinée (UGAN-HNG), Université Gamel Abdel Nasser, Conakry, Guinea
Guinee-Ecologie, Conakry, Guinea
Centre d’Observation de Surveillance et D’Informations Environnementales (COSIE), Ministère de l’Environnement des Eaux et Forêts (MEEF), Guinea
AGEDD (Association Guinéene d’Eveil au Developpement Durable)
Office Guineen des Parcs et Reserves (OGPR), Ministre de l’Environnement des Eaux et Forêts (MEEF), Guinea
Franklinia Foundation
