Location:
Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea-Bissau and Sierra Leone.
The Resource:
The low- and medium-altitude closed rainforests of Guinea are continuations of the forests of Liberia and western Côte d'Ivoire - the three countries share the Mount Nimba mountain massif. These forests are a "mosaic of Guineo-Congolian lowland rain forest, wetter types, and Guineo-Congolian lowland rain forest, drier types". - FAO
Cause of Problem:
Guinea's few reserves are under-managed and underfunded and are threatened by mining projects and agriculture. Of Guinea's 100 or so endemic species, over 40% are considered endangered by poaching and loss of habitat.
Other Environmental Issues:
"deforestation; inadequate supplies of potable water; desertification; soil contamination and erosion; overfishing, overpopulation in forest region; poor mining practices have led to environmental damage." - CIA
Rhett A. Butler's Assessment :
The rainforests of Guinea have been highly impacted by fires and agriculture and have left scattered portions of forest among grasslands. These small sections of forest still contain emergent overstory trees, valuable for timber, which are only being exploited at a slow rate due to lack of heavy machinery. Read More
