Kounounkan (6373)
Guinea, Africa
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2015
National site name: Kounounkan
Central coordinates: Latitude: 9.5333, Longitude: -12.8667
System: terrestrial
Elevation (m): 50 to 1094
Area of KBA (km2): 106.43716
Protected area coverage (%): 41.33
KBA classification: Global/Regional TBD
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: Kounounkan Forest Reserve, also known as Kamalayah, is located 90 km south-east of Conakry, north of the town of Moussaya, on the southern tip of the Fouta Djalon. The forest sits on a massif of Devonian sandstone, rising to 1,094 m above the coastal plain. The massif is dissected into several steep-sided plateaux. The vegetation is mainly old-growth (more than 150 years) secondary, closed canopy, semi-evergreen rainforest, mostly confined to the ravines. Representative tree species include Afzelia africana, Aningeria altissima, Cola gigantea and Morus mesozygia. Savanna woodland occurs on the ridge tops with areas of farmbush on the lower slopes.
Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This site qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance because it meets one or more previously established criteria and thresholds for identifying sites of biodiversity importance (including Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas, Alliance for Zero Extinction sites, and Key Biodiversity Areas) KBA identified in the CEPF Ecosystem Profile of the Guinea Forests of West Africa Hotspot (2015). Taxonomy, nomenclature and threat status follow the 2013 IUCN Red List.
Additional biodiversity: See Box and Tables 2 and 3 for key species. To date 134 species have been recorded from Kounounkan. Non-bird biodiversity: The primates Cercopithecus diana (VU) and Pan troglodytes (EN) are known to occur.
Habitats
Land use: agriculture | forestry | nature conservation and research | water management
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Unknown | 50 | |
| Artificial - Terrestrial | 25 | |
| Forest | 25 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: The reserve was gazetted in 1994. Firewood-collection is considered to be the most significant threat to the remaining area of forest. Other threats include agricultural encroachment and uncontrolled bush fires. Hunting pressure appears to be relatively low.
Additional information
References: Barnett et al. (1994), Hayman et al. (1995).