PAPFor

Focus on the Pinselli and Soyah Classified Forests (OKKPS)

Kristell — 2023-05-25T17:12:38Z

Location

The Pinselli and Soyah forests are located in Guinea, south-east of the town of Mamou, in the region of Moyenne-Guinée, Mamou Prefecture. The two forests are very close to each other and are protected as Classified Forests. With an area of 13 000 and 8 400 ha respectively, they consist of dry forests on undulating and rocky terrain at the higher elevations (Soyah forest reaches heights of over 900m in altitude). Along the rivers, denser and higher gallery (corridor) forests form cooler and wetter environments.

These forests are managed by the Office Guinéen des Parcs Nationaux et Réserves de Faune, with a base in the village of Soyah.

Both forests are close to the border with Sierra Leone and notably to Outamba National Park. Together, this mosaic of protected and rural areas form the Outamba-Kilimi-Kuru-Pinselli-Soyah transboundary landscape, better known by the acronym OKKPS.

Biodiversity

The Pinselli-Soyah area, together with the adjacent Sabouyah area, is recognised as an area of high biodiversity value. Initial inventories in 2011-2012, complemented by ongoing inventories under the PAPFor programme, have confirmed the presence of critically endangered species such as: forest elephants, West African chimpanzees, various monkey species, the giant pangolin and various bovid species. The high density of chimpanzees represents one of the highest conservation values. A few large carnivores such as leopard and lion remain, while the patches of dense forest and gallery forest in this area represent the last refuges for species more typically associated with the dense forests of Upper Guinea.

Bulbul fourmilier (Bleda canicapillus), endémique aux forêts guinéennes, Réserve de Soyah / Anteater Bulbul (Bleda canicapillus), endemic to the Guinean forests, Soyah Reserve

Libellule (Chlorocypha curta) typique des zones périphériques aux forêts d'Afrique de l'Ouest et Centrale (Forêt Classée de Soyah) / This dragonfly (Chlorocypha curta) is typical of the peripheral areas of the forests of West and Central Africa (Soyah Forest Reserve)

Cette aracée Amorphophallus aphyllus est typique des zones de savane d'Afrique de l'Ouest (Forêt Classée de Pinselli) / This Amorphophallus aphyllus root is typical of the savannah areas of West Africa (Pinselli Classified Forest)

The presence of typical forest species, typical savannah species and transitional species is one of the major conservation values of the OKKPS landscape, and is unique among the landscapes supported by PAPFor.

Pressures and responses to threats

The main pressures on the forests of the Pinselli and Soyah region are bushfires, agricultural expansion and hunting.
The PAPFor programme, implemented by the Wild Chimpanzee Foundation, is working on several fronts to ensure that conservation and development coexist. A programme of inventories and monitoring of fauna and flora (bio-monitoring) allows for a better understanding of the forests' biodiversity and species densities and distribution as well as of any signs of hunting or other human activities that threaten them. Among the eco-guards carrying out this work, an all-female patrol regularly covers the area and uses the opportunity to meet village inhabitants in order to raise awareness of nature conservation and to encourage respect for the law.

Equipe d'écogardes vérifiant les données de bio-monitoring récoltées dans la région de Sabouyah / Team of ecoguards verifying bio-monitoring data collected in the Sabouyah region

Another major component of WCF/PAPFor's intervention is providing support to encourage a transition from slash-and-burn to mulch-based agriculture. These activities include explaining and promoting various techniques that enable higher yields on small permanent cultivation sites. This allows farmers to stabilise their farming areas and avoid cutting further into forests to establish fields. In addition to composting techniques, natural fertilisation, plant protection etc., fences are erected around plots to protect crops from domestic and wild animals. Support for the development of beekeeping on the edge of the forest also allows villagers to secure additional income, encouraging them to protect the forest against fire and shifting cultivation.

Une des zones maraîchères appuyées par WCF/PAPFor (périphérie de la forêt de Soyah) /One of the market garden areas supported by WCF/PAPFor (periphery of the Soyah forest)

An extensive forest conservation awareness programme uses a variety of methods suitable for the local context: sets of pictures, environmental clubs in schools, radio and TV broadcasts, posters and information boards, and talks in villages.

Support for existing and future protected areas

In addition to the bio-monitoring patrols, the programme works with the Office Guinéen des Parcs Nationaux et Réserves de Faune (OGPRF), which has a mandate to ensure the effective protection of the classified forests of Pinselli and Soyah, and to prepare an ambitious programme for the creation of the Pinselli-Soyah-Sabouyah National Park.

The programme supports patrols to ensure compliance with environmental laws in and around the classified forests. It also provides technical support for the development of management plans and monitoring of management effectiveness through training and IMET (Integrated Management Effectiveness Tool) evaluation.

Bio-monitoring work focuses on the area between Pinselli-Soyah and the border with Sierra Leone, with a view to establishing a National Park ensuring connectivity between these protected areas and the Outamba National Park in Sierra Leone. Coupled with socio-economic surveys and participatory land mapping, numerous discussion sessions are taking place with camps and small villages to ensure the support of neighbouring communities. This co-creation also aims to ensure that the process is inclusive and respects the principles of Free, Prior and Informed Consent for the creation of a new protected area.

Community-based participatory management

Yuzhou — 2022-10-20T09:37:27Z

One of the major challenges of the PAPFor programme is to help the populations living around the high conservation value areas, through free and informed consent, to take ownership of the governance of natural resources at the local level and to adopt a sustainable development system. This system should enable the improvement of ecosystem services and agricultural practices, which will have a positive effect on the quality of life and income of households with a positive impact on the local development of the decentralised entities.

The project places particular emphasis on a gender and vulnerable people approach in the implementation of its activities

Support for Protected Areas

Yuzhou — 2022-10-20T09:35:46Z

PAPFor provides direct support to the two national agencies responsible for protected area management. A key support activity is WCF working to establish the Pensel-li-Soyah-Sabouyah area as a National Park and to update the management plan of the Outamba National Park which will serve as a basis for the interventions of technical and financial partners. PAPFor also supports training in management tools such as IMET (Integrated Management Effectiveness Tool) and village territory management plans. These tools help guide decision-making for effective management of threats and pressures on priority conservation targets. The programme also provides support for vehicles, computers, field equipment, and monitoring patrols. A vegetation monitoring system has been established to quantify the positive effects of restoration actions in the identified
corridor at the landscape level.

Maintaining forest cover and protecting threatened species

Yuzhou — 2022-10-20T09:34:04Z

In the context of rapid development of economic projects, illegal logging and urban expansion, the priority is to maintain the connectivity of high conservation value areas at the forest landscape level. PAPFor envisages the restoration of forest corridors with a strong involvement of the riparian communities. The programme works with local authorities and riparian communities to restore degraded areas in the corridor connecting Sabouyah (in Guinea), Kuru Hills and Outamba (in Sierra Leone). These areas are currently subject to illegal exploitation of rosewood, poaching, and degradation of natural habitats. Most recently, CITES has banned the exploitation of rosewood in Sierra Leone. The Guinean authorities have already taken strong measures to reduce timber
trafficking in the Mamou and Faranah regions. The project will support these two governments in their efforts to combat illegal logging and law enforcement.

Natural habitats of the OK- KPS Landscape

Yuzhou — 2022-10-20T09:30:38Z

With no less than 30 mammal species, 13 of which are conservation priority species, and nine species of reptiles, including one vulnerable species (African dwarf crocodile), the OKKPS landscape is an important conservation area. Key species include the western chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes verus), forest elephant (Loxodonta cyclotis), African buffalo (Syncerus caffer), green monkey (Chlorocebus sabaeus), western black-and-white colobus (Colobus polykomos), sooty mangabey (Cercocebus atys) and spot-nosed monkey (Cercopithecus petaurista), as well as hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius), black duiker (Cephalophus niger), African golden cat (Caracal aurata) and various species of genets. These habitats constitute a priority conservation area to ensure the ecosystem services that guarantee the wellbeing of both wildlife and the local communities.

African forest elephant (Loxodonta cyclotis)

Yuzhou — 2022-10-20T09:23:40Z

It has recently been proven that the Pen-selli-Soyah-Sabouyah area hosts the largest elephant population in the country, which were previously unrecognised.

Recent videos have shown movements of these elephants towards Sierra Leone in the Guinea-Sierra Leone migration corridor.

It is important to maintain the gallery forests along rivers and the periodically flooded savannahs, as they are essential to ensure the survival of the only viable elephant population in Guinea. Coordinated and cross-border conservation activities will be of great support in the safeguarding of these elephants

Western chimpanzee (Pan Troglodytes verus)

Yuzhou — 2022-10-20T09:23:10Z

Listed as Critically Endangered by theIUCN since 2016, Guinea has the largest chimpanzee population of any country in West Africa. The OKKPS landscape area is one of the hotspots identified for this species.

As the closest living relative of humans, behavioural studies have shown many similarities between us and our closest cousins. As such, humanity has a moral duty to direct efficient protective measures to ensure the survival of this ape, hence the need to strengthen the conservation status of the OKKPS landscape.

Bushfires

Yuzhou — 2022-10-20T09:17:09Z

In the OKKPS landscape, fires have visible negative impacts on forests and waterways. The slash-and-burn method is an ancient practice in the culture of local farmers, however, when left unchecked, fire causes damage to crops in the fields and to livestock.

The fire dynamics in the OKKPS zone are poorly studied. It is therefore essential to implement a bushfire management strategy using satellite imagery

Industrial mining operations

Yuzhou — 2022-10-20T09:14:41Z

The OKKPS Landscape area is bisected by the railway line that will be used to transport minerals for export. The railway line passes through the heart of the priority area for the conservation of threatened species.

Close collaboration with the mining operators is needed to establish an agreement of mitigation activities to reduce the negative impacts on biodiversity (deforestation, changes in watercourse regime, fragmentation of natural habitats, and disruption of corridor connectivity)

Expanding slash-and-burn agriculture

Yuzhou — 2022-10-20T09:12:44Z

Community members' fields are usually on land where almost all the trees are felled and the vegetation is burned. This slash-and-burn method of cultivation rapidly depletes the soil of nutrients, and is not guaranteed viable beyond two years.

As local communities repeatedly clear a new fields, this unfortunately leads to deforestation and the premature desiccation of rivers. Original fields are abandoned and it takes several decades of fallowing for the land to be usable again. In the OKKPS landscape, as the need for fertile land increases with population expansion, farmers make illegal incursions into the Soyah and Penselli Classified Forests, and into the Sabouyah Reserve in search of new cropland. However, these communities then settle and hunt in these forests. This accelerates the degradation of natural habitats and the decrease in wildlife.