This is the Coalition’s first demonstration project. Guinea, a country with a growing forest cover, is at the crossroads of numerous ecological connectivities. The government is committed to a National Strategy and the implementation of a National Biodiversity Conservation Plan (2016-2025), in which the inclusion of local populations and the management of biological corridors are emphasized.
The project has 3 components:
- Precise mapping of the project perimeter
- Field actions supported by appropriate funding
- A certification methodology integrating the benefits of ecological connectivity
On May 19, 2023, the Guinea project was officially launched in Conakry, under the patronage of the Guinean Ministry of the Environment and Sustainable Development. Speakers included Safiatou Diallo, Minister of the Environment and Sustainable Development, and Marc Fonbaustier, French Ambassador to Guinea and Sierra Leone. The relevant Guinean institutions are invited to follow and contribute to the project: local authorities, the Agence Nationale de Financement des Collectivités (ANAFIC), the Office Guinéen du Bois (OGUIB), the Office Guinéen des Parcs Nationaux et Réserves de Faune (OGPNRF).
Supported by AFD, and backed by a multi-stakeholder, cross-functional partnership with Guinean institutions, Guinée Ecologie, Biotope, Ecoact, Matthieu Wemaere Avocat and Wild Chimpanzee Foundation, the three-year project (2023-2025) aims to restore and maintain ecological connectivity from the north to the south of Guinea, with strong local development implications.
Through a replicable project methodology, the creation of this biodiversity corridor linking the Badiar/Lébékéré-PNMB-Paysage OKKPS areas is supported by an innovative financing mechanism for climate and biodiversity projects.
The year 2023 saw the establishment of key partnerships, the launch of the first phase of the project and the sharing of expectations: objectives, timetable, resources; media coverage and awareness of the project; coordination and collaboration between all stakeholders, including Guinean institutions such as the Ministry of the Environment, mining companies grouped together in the Guinean Chamber of Mines, and NGOs present in the field such as Guinée 44. The launch of the first mapping activities in 2023 led to meetings with institutional players, data collection and the creation of a Geographic Information System (GIS) with a synthesis of all existing data.
Following this cartography work carried out by Biotope, to aid decision-making and selection of intervention sectors, it is now necessary to observe the passage of the fauna through the project area in the field. This summer, our implementing partner Guinée Ecologie will begin the ground-truthing phase, which will enable us to fine-tune the cartography and ensure a more precise understanding of the issues and needs in a selected area of the “Biodiversity Corridors in Guinea” pilot project. Thus, this work is currently being complemented by the precise mapping of the stakeholders (populations, local authorities, etc.) in order to define which stakeholders are already working in the area with objectives in synergy with the project. This on-the-ground phase is a pivotal moment in the project
Presentation of the team
The demonstrator project “Biodiversity corridors in Guinea” in the media
- Radio Environnement Guinée: ” Préservation de la biodiversité : le Ministère de l’Environnement et du Développement Durable et Climate Chance vers la mise en place d’un corridor ” (23/04/2024, in French only)
- The Sutainable Angle (see more on social networks here): “Biodiversity Applied”, Future Fabrics Expo 2023 (07/02/2024)
- Africa Guinée : La Chambre des Mines de Guinée holds its first Board of Directors meeting of 2024 (30/01/2024, in French only)