| Guinea | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Location | Western Africa | ||||||||||||||||||
| National websites | Factbook | ||||||||||||||||||
| Embassy / Chancery in U.S. | 2112
Leroy Place NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 483-9420 FAX: [1] (202) 483-8688 |
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| Agencies responsible for biological inventory and conservation | 1Ornithology Department, National Museums of Kenya, PO Box 40658, Nairobi, Kenya 2BirdLife International, Wellbrook Court, Girton Road, Cambridge CB3 0NA, UK (For birds) Ministry of Natural Resources (For other) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Non-governmental organizations concerned with conservation | International Institute for Sustainable Development, Special Research Monitoring Centre, Peace Corps | ||||||||||||||||||
| Major Natural Resources | Guinea has many natural resources at its disposal, but uses very little of them. Guinea's economy is ruled by agriculture, in fact, about 80% of its workers are involved in agriculture. Guinea has major mineral and agricultural resources, but is still one of the poorest countries in the world. Guinea has a huge amount of unexploited resources of Bauxite. Guinea possesses 25% of the worlds Bauxite, and is the second largest producer of Bauxite in the world! Bauxite actually composes approximately 75% of Guinea's exports. If it wasn't for Guinea's Bauxite production, there would be little to no foreign investment in the economy of Guinea. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Major Environmental and Conservation Issues | Guinea has many of the same environmental problems that plauge the rest of Africa. Changing climate patterns have led to the desertification of much of Guinea's land. Deforestation is also occuring at a rapid rate, but since almost 60% of Guinea is covered by forest, that is not an immediate problem. Unfortunately, the forests of Guinea have become overcrowded, and the forest is suffering due to this. Guinea has also overfished many of its fisheries, and will be paying for that in the future. The soil in Guinea is eroding, and this is a major problem since so much of Guinea's economy depends on agriculture. It is essential that Guinea tries to do something about this problem, or else their economy will be even worse off than it presently is. Lastly, Guinea suffers from the same problem of polluted drinking water that plauges most of Africa. Livestock and soil erosion have nearly ruined their water supply. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Statistics | Information Sources | ||||||||||||||||||
| Land area | 245,860 sq km | Factbook | |||||||||||||||||
| Area of forest | 145,057 sq. km | Factbook | |||||||||||||||||
| Area of wetlands | |||||||||||||||||||
| Area of territorial waters | 0 sq. km | Factbook | |||||||||||||||||
| Population: | 7,477,110 | Density: | 30.4 /sq. km | ||||||||||||||||
| Area protected (ha) (only areas >1000ha) at all IUCN levels: | 164,000 | Fraction of land area protected (%): | .7% | ||||||||||||||||
| Major Protected Areas | List of
Major Protected Areas |
Information Center for the Environment | |||||||||||||||||
| Endemic Species |
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World Resource 96-97 | |||||||||||||||||
| Endangered, Threatened and Vulnerable Species |
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World Conservation Monitoring Centre - Animal | |||||||||||||||||
| Extinct Species |
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World Conservation Monitoring Centre - Animal | |||||||||||||||||
| Species listed on CITES Appendices | CITES-listed Species Database | ||||||||||||||||||
| Legislation | |||||||||||||||||||
| Laws protecting endangered or threatened species | |||||||||||||||||||
| Laws protecting endangered ecosystems | |||||||||||||||||||
| Signatory to CITES | 12/20/81 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Signatory to Ramsar Wetlands Convention | 3/18/93 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Signatory to Convention on Biological Diversity | 6/12/92 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Signatory to Migratory Bird Treaty | No | ||||||||||||||||||
| Member of International Whaling Commission | No | ||||||||||||||||||
| Signatory to other international treaties designed to protect or manage biological resources | Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands | ||||||||||||||||||
| Natural Resource Use | Information Sources | ||||||||||||||||||
| Fisheries | 39.0 metric tons per year | ||||||||||||||||||
| Forestry / deforestation | 4,359,000 cubic meters | ||||||||||||||||||
| Ecotourism | Ecotourism is not a huge enterprise in Guinea. There is some there, but not large amounts such as there are in other African countries. Much of t his could be due to the fact that Guinea is very poor, and crime is rampant on the streets of Guinea, especially against foreigners. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Trade in wildlife products | |||||||||||||||||||
| Hunting | No numbers are available, but there is an extensive hunting culture in Guinea. There are conventions concerning the hunting of chimpanzees, they are attempting to stop this habit. | Abstract | |||||||||||||||||
| Other uses of natural resources | |||||||||||||||||||
| Human Impacts on Natural Resources | Information Sources | ||||||||||||||||||
| Air pollution | Air pollution is not a huge problem in Guinea. The worst air pollution happens during the hot, dry summers. At these times, the dust from the surrounding deserts flys into the air and is ubiquitous in the atmosphere. | Factbook | |||||||||||||||||
| Water pollution | The main body of water near Guinea (The Gulf of Guinea) has been polluted and degraded. As a result, the biological diversity in this area has been threatened. | NRI project | |||||||||||||||||
| Development activities | To be completely honest, Guinea is not very developed at all. The main problem that has stemmed from Guinea's development has been deforestation, but more than 50% of Guinea's land is still covered by forest. | Factbook | |||||||||||||||||
| Introduced species | |||||||||||||||||||
| Legislation addressing these issues | Plan national d'action pour l'environment | Abstract | |||||||||||||||||
| Restoration and Reintroduction | Information Sources | ||||||||||||||||||
| Programs for restoration of damaged habitat | Plan national d'action pour l'environment | Abstract | |||||||||||||||||
| Programs for ex situ conservation (captive breeding and reintroduction) of endangered species | Palm Action Plan | PAP | |||||||||||||||||
Return to Endangered Species Protection around the World
Page compiled by Dennis Dierck as part of a class project in h90 "The Science of Biodiversity and Conservation" (Peter J. Bryant, Instructor), University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA