Threatened plants species of Guinea-Conakry: A preliminary checklist

Guinea-Conakry has one of the highest plant diversities in Sub-Saharan West Africa and is part of the Upper Guinean Forest ecoregion and the Guinean Forests of West Africa biodiversity hotspot. Guinea is a major supplier of the world’s bauxite and has significant reserves of high grade iron ore, it also has small reserves of diamonds, gold and uranium. As a result large areas of open cast mining exist in the country and pressure on habitats and vegetation are increasing with the need to bring revenue into the country; this is in addition to unsustainable slash and burn agriculture and a growing population. An initial list of 482 species was compiled from Lisowski’s Flore (Angiospermes) de la République de Guinée, subsequent discussion and screening reduced the list to 253. This list has since increased, through new species and range extensions, to 270 which is presented here. It is estimated that c. 7-8% of the countries flora is threatened. Rediscoveries and new species are being made in Guinea, but they are often already threatened having been discovered as part of Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs). A comprehensive red list of threatened species is much needed to support the country’s environmental policy as well as their international obligations. Data gathering for a Red Data Book for Guinea has been ongoing for several years and is due to be published in 2019.