Conservation of threatened tree species in three Tropical Important Plant Areas of Guinea

Improving the in situ conservation status of all 27 globally threatened tree species in Guinea, by focusing on 13 target tree species which occur in three Tropical Important Plant Areas in Guinea

Partner: Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew (RBGK)
Years: 2020-2023

This project builds on previous conservation progress in Guinea and aims at improving the conservation status of 13 target tree species by establishing tree nurseries to support reforestation as well as preventing the threat of wildfire in the project areas and raising awareness of local communities, in particular schoolchildren, to the richness and value of Guinean endemic tree species.

Habitat cleared for charcoal production in Guinea (Photo: Charlotte Couch/RBG Kew)

This project builds on the outcomes of recent projects which:

1. identified 22 Tropical Important Plant Areas (TIPAs) and 9 threatened habitat types in Guinea,

2. published IUCN Red List assessments for many of Guinea’s 273 indigenous threatened plant species, and

3. produced Conservation Action Plans for 20 tree species.

This project aims to improve the conservation status of 13 target tree species by establishing tree nurseries to support reforestation. It also aims to reduce threats by fire to the target tree species by 50% in the three target TIPAs. Equally, it aims 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 national forest reforestation programmes. Lastly, the project includes a public awareness, especially amongst schoolchildren, to the fact that Guinean rare and endemic tree species exist, and are highly threatened by human activities and should be protected.