A fauna in great danger
The Guinean fauna has suffered serious destruction due to anarchic exploitation and poaching practiced on a large scale for decades. Today it is very difficult to observe the large mammals emblematic of African wildlife. Elephants, hippos, lions, panthers and buffaloes are still present, but in very small numbers, and their presence is most often confirmed only by the tracks they leave behind or by the images of trap cameras installed in the framework of census projects. Thus, the presence of lions and panthers is confirmed in the north of the country on the border with Mali and towards Faranah. Forest elephants and pygmy hippos are regularly observed in the Ziama forest in Forest Guinea. On the other hand, hippos and caimans still populate the rivers in various parts of the country, but in remote areas. So, if you wish to observe the local fauna, you will need time, patience and a little luck. However, there are some animals that are quite easy to observe in the bush: monkeys (baboons, chimpanzees, colobus and other vervets) are regularly heard and/or seen by walkers. For the amateurs of night stalking, warthogs, civets and other gazelles can sometimes be seen in the moonlight. Another fauna, whose encounter is not always sought after, is very present throughout the territory. These are the snakes: pythons, mambas, vipers and other snakes thrive there and do not hesitate to expose themselves to the sun at the risk of scaring some.
Guinea is also rich of a varied avifauna, certainly in less number than in Senegal, but still of a great diversity: sea birds and mangrove, living in the estuaries of the rivers, but also on the islands Tristao and Alcatraz (herons, flamingos, pelicans, terns, brown boobies, etc..), mountain birds (vultures, eagles...), and savannah birds (touracos, hornbills, cuckoos, metallic blackbirds, rollers, parrots, etc.) in Fouta and Upper Guinea
Parks that struggle to exist
The Moyen Bafing Park was officially created in May 2021. At the initiative of the Wild Chimpanzee Foundation, this park is currently home to the largest population of chimpanzees in the sub-region as well as a proven fauna of large mammals. The park's main purpose is the protection of great apes and wildlife, but development projects and discovery tours are being planned to allow future visitors to learn more about the protected ecosystems. The Badiar Park, inaugurated in April 1996, covers an area of over 900,000 ha. So far, the Guinean side, Badiar, is not very rich in animals. But it has an interesting tourist circuit that passes by the Sow mountain, then follows the Koulountou river (border with Senegal), and finally crosses a beautiful roast forest. But the best circuit is certainly the one that reaches Simenti in a few hours, in the heart of the Niokolo-Koba Park in its Senegalese part. This park offers the best sample of West African fauna (antelopes, warthogs, hippos, lions, jackals...). To do especially in dry season, when the animals come to drink in the ponds and are therefore easier to see. The Upper Niger Park was created in 1997 and covers an area of more than 700,000 ha on the territory of the prefectures of Kouroussa, Faranah and Dabola. It was first created on the basis of the forest nuclei of Mafou and Kouyah. It became a biosphere reserve in 2002. Due to its position, it constitutes an ecological transition zone between the forest ecosystem to the south and the savannah ecosystem to the north. Unfortunately, despite successive support and projects, the park today exists almost in name only. The ecoguards do what they can with the few means available while waiting for better days. It is worth noting, however, the presence in the heart of the park of the Chimpanzee Conservation Center (CCC), which contributes at its level to the preservation of the wildlife heritage.
A flora under strong pressure
Little by little, under the combined effect of uninterrupted logging and uncontrolled fires, the country's vegetation cover is tending to become impoverished, rarefied and even disappearing. In spite of this, local species and associated ecosystems remain in the different regions. The mangrove, a very particular ecosystem, still occupies part of the 250 km of Guinean coastline at the mouth of major rivers. Mangrove trees constitute the impenetrable structure. They are the only ones able to grow their feet in these salty waters. But the preservation of this environment is a permanent struggle because the wood of the mangrove is used by the populations on a daily basis. Note: a project led by the association Univers-sel to Boffa, which, through the creation of salt marshes, has helped to preserve the surrounding mangrove which was gradually destroyed, the wood of mangroves used for the production of salt by heating. Nerés, kapok trees and karités still dominate the savannahs of Upper Guinea. Even if they are becoming rare, these trees with multiple uses are relatively preserved by the populations who derive income from them. From the karite nuts is extracted a "butter" that is very famous in cosmetics. Soumbara is produced from the seeds extracted from the neré pods and is used as a condiment in the local cuisine. From the fruit of the kapok tree is extracted a fiber resembling cotton which is used to make cushions. Also known as the cheese tree, this tall tree is still often seen as the "guardian" of the villages in Mandingo country. In the southeast of the country, the primary forest, rich in species such as azobe (rot-proof wood), remains only in the form of protected islands. Anarchic logging to extract the best logs from the forest massifs but also deforestation for cultivation purposes under the pressure of waves of refugees in the 1990s have largely contributed to this degradation. Fortunately, today it is still possible to admire some multi-centennial specimens in the supervised massifs such as Ziama near Macenta
