News from the field: Green Transformation 2050

The NGO Greentransformation2050 is an NGO based in Conakry, Guinea and created in 2016.

Its mission is to support a green and resilient transition in Guinea towards 2050, and to place an emphasis on eco-citizenship, conservation, environmental integrity and diversity, intergenerational equity, rational management of natural resources, in alignment with sustainable development goals and international obligations. Its values ​​are integrity, performance, innovation, and environmental responsibility.

To do so, Green Transformation 2050 provides its expertise on aspects of sustainable management of natural resources for field projects. The team also leads meetings and advocates for the training of environmental consultation executives with the services of the Guinean administration and the stakeholders concerned. GT2050 was also able to set up a branch of the Climate and Development network in Guinea.

The project: “integrative management of the biodiversity within the Haut Niger National Park (PNHN)

Like other West African countries, Guinea’s biological diversity is very rich, especially its dense and humid forests. But their exploitation is not always well managed. The conservation issues are therefore very strong there.

Based on these facts, we started, with the support of the PPI, in 2020 an initiative of integrative management of the biodiversity within the Haut Niger National Park (PNHN).

Classified as a Biosphere Reserve and composed of large expanses of forests and savannahs, the Haut Niger National Park (12000km²) in Guinea is home to remarkable fauna: common chimpanzees, lions, panthers, black buffaloes, hippos, bush pigs, warthogs. Unfortunately, these species and their habitats are threatened by anthropogenic pressures that Park officials cannot cope with on their own: mainly the anarchic logging, uncontrolled hunting and bush fires. The project therefore intends to contribute as much as it can to solving these problems through better involvement of local communities in the management of the Park. The project affects 13 villages of which 2,000 people will be directly affected by the actions.

The specific objectives of this project are to:

– Develop a structural framework for village management communities through the appropriation of local planning tools;

– Strengthen the conservation of biodiversity through the creation and provision of participatory community management tools;

– Make community stakeholders responsible for the development of economic activities adapted to the challenges of the Park.

In partnership with the management administration of the Park and the residents represented by the village management committees, the activities carried out during this project are as follows:

– The mapping of existing and active village management committees was made.

– Park officials and residents have been trained in environmental data collection and ecological monitoring in the field.

 – Three consultation framework meetings with the Village Management Committees were held.

– Reforestation work could be organized in order to reforest degraded sites and while reducing poverty by promoting Non-Wood Forest Products (Detarium guineesis (Boron)).

– It is planned to participate in commercial activities such as the international fair in Conakry and networking by ecotourism investors. This has been postponed due to COVID.

– Economic interest groups were able to benefit from capacity building and the provision of equipment: beekeeping and plantations.

– Finally, residents living near the Park were able to participate in training courses on the sustainable management of natural resources and 30 nature conservators on the management of bush fires.

The activities of this project therefore laid the foundations for a solid partnership with the Park management team and the village committees. This confidence should allow continued support in the management of this biodiversity area. This work must indeed be continuous to obtain maximum results. In addition, the relationships created with other NGOs within the framework of exchange visits with the PPI (AUDER, Wild Chimpanzee Foundation) were able to strengthen GT2050’s skills but also its anchoring in the conservation landscape in Guinea.

Training of officers from the conservation unit of the Haut Niger National Park

Reforestation of 2000 Detarium plants