Guinea has one of the highest levels plant diversity in sub-Saharan Africa and is part of the forest ecoregion of Upper Guinea (Burgess et al., 2004; WWF, 2000) and the biodiversity hotspot of Guinean Forests of West Africa (CEPF, 2015). This diversity is partly due to the Fouta Djalon highlands, and the Loma-Man and Nimba mountains. These high-elevation forests and grasslands have resulted in endemic species and interesting distribution patterns. There are large tracts of lowland forests in Guinée Forestière (Forest Guinea) and some areas in Guinée Maritime (Coastal Guinea) although most of these forests are now very fragmented and small (less than 1 km2), the largest unspoiled area is around the Kounounkan massif in the Forécariah prefecture.
Guinea is a major supplier of bauxite to the world and has significant reserves of high-grade iron ore, as well as small reserves of diamonds, gold and uranium. As a result, large areas of surface mining exist in the country and the pressure on habitats and vegetation increases with the need to generate income in the country; this is in addition to unsustainable slash-and-burn agriculture and the increase of the population, which relies heavily on wood and charcoal for fuel. Fire set for pasture renewals and agricultural clearance pose a serious threat to forests and communities. Indeed, every year the country burns from end to end, uncontrolled fires are a growing problem, and smoke dramatically affects air quality.
This is why, within the framework of studies on biodiversity and plant conservation in Guinea, organised in partnership between the National Herbarium of Guinea - Gamal Abdel Nasser University of Conakry and the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, a PhD scholarship was financed by the Ellis Goodman Family Foundation (EGFF) and the Guinean Government to fund this PhD project at Ghent University. The project will generate a checklist of the socio-economic plant species of Guinea, investigate their distribution, and focus on Neocarya macrophylla as a case study.