The largest and only viable population of the Critically Endangered African Forest Elephant in Guinea survives in rainforest and shrubby savanna stretching along the border with Sierra Leone. Also living here is the largest population of the Critically Endangered Western Chimpanzee in West Africa. The presence of these elephants, chimpanzees and other endangered species—like pangolins and critically endangered vultures—highlights the region’s importance for global conservation.

These species are now in grave danger as a 100-mile iron ore railway, requiring four tunnels and 43 bridges, is being built through this sensitive habitat to connect a massive mine with the coast. This activity is causing habitat fragmentation, degradation and destruction and threatening the survival of species already facing extinction. Other serious threats are illegal logging, bushmeat hunting and slash-and-burn agriculture.

Rainforest Trust and our partner, The Wild Chimpanzee Foundation, are working with the government of Guinea and local communities to create the 560,512-acre Pinselli-Soyah-Sabouyah National Park. The new park will connect to the adjacent Outamba-Kilimi National Park (182,364 acres) to the south in Sierra Leone to create a vast wildlife corridor for wide-roaming species like the elephant.

Header photo: West African Baby Chimpanzee, by Photosybpatrik

Prevent the Exploitation of Forests in Guinea

Once declared a new national park, this area will benefit from closer monitoring to mitigate the impact of the railway construction on threatened species. Steps will be taken to ensure that the maintenance road running parallel to the rail line is not used by the public to access the interior of the park and that no bushmeat is transported by the rail line.

Extensive illegal logging and timber trafficking between Guinea and Sierra Leone is a continuing affront to the forest and its inhabitants, as are slash-and-burn practices and poaching. Logging, hunting and mining will be strictly prohibited in the new national park.

Create a Safe Haven for Chimpanzees

Industrial development and infrastructure—like mining and the rail lines that serve it—are devastating to chimpanzees’ survival. With more than 80% of this species lost since the 1950’s, Western Chimpanzee populations will continue declining without protection.

Rainforest Trust is currently working on another project with The Wild Chimpanzee Foundation in southern Liberia to protect the 550,000-acre Kwa Proposed Protected Area for the country’s second-largest known population of Critically Endangered Western Chimpanzee and for the Endangered Pygmy Hippopotamus.

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