Western Guinean lowland forests

The Western Guinean lowland forests are a tropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion of West Africa.

Western Guinean lowland forests
Taï National Park, Ivory Coast
Map of the Western Guinean lowland forests
Ecology
RealmAfrotropical
Biometropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests
BordersEastern Guinean forests, Guinean forest-savanna mosaic, and Guinean mangroves
Geography
Area203,842 km2 (78,704 sq mi)
CountriesGuinea, Ivory Coast, Liberia, and Sierra Leone
Conservation
Conservation statusVulnerable
Global 200yes
Protected24,028 km² (12%)[1]

Geography

The ecoregion includes the lowland forests extending from the Atlantic Ocean a few hundred kilometers inland, and from western Côte d'Ivoire across Liberia, southeastern Guinea, most of Sierra Leone, and into southwest Guinea.

The Sassandra River of Côte d'Ivoire separates the Western Guinean forests from the Eastern Guinean forests which lie to the east. Inland and to the west, the Western Guinean forests transition to the Guinean forest-savanna mosaic, and to the Guinean montane forests at higher elevations.[2]

The Western Guinean forests, together with the other tropical moist forests of West Africa, is included within Conservation International's Guinean Forests of West Africa biodiversity hotspot.

Protected areas

A 2017 assessment found that 24,028 km², or 12%, of the ecoregion is in protected areas. Only 2% of the unprotected area is covered by relatively-intact forest.[3] Protected areas include Taï National Park in Ivory Coast, Lofa-Mano National Park and Sapo National Park in Liberia, Diecké Forest Reserve in Guinea, and Kangari Hills Forest Reserve in Sierra Leone.

See also
  • "Western Guinean lowland forests". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund.
  • Guinean Forests of West Africa (Conservation International)
  • Map of the Guinean Forests of West Africa (Conservation International) (PDF file)

References
  1. Eric Dinerstein, David Olson, et al. (2017). An Ecoregion-Based Approach to Protecting Half the Terrestrial Realm, BioScience, Volume 67, Issue 6, June 2017, Pages 534–545; Supplemental material 2 table S1b.
  2. "Western Guinean lowland forests". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund.
  3. Eric Dinerstein, David Olson, et al. (2017). An Ecoregion-Based Approach to Protecting Half the Terrestrial Realm, BioScience, Volume 67, Issue 6, June 2017, Pages 534–545; Supplemental material 2 table S1b.

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