Mt Wokou

GUITIPA015
Mt Wokou

Country: Guinea

Administrative region: Macenta (Prefecture)

Central co-ordinates: 8.52167 N, 9.46306 W

Area: 2km²

Qualifying IPA Criteria

A(i)Site contains one or more globally threatened species, C(iii)Site contains nationally threatened or restricted habitat or vegetation types, AND/OR habitats that have severely declined in extent nationally

IPA assessment rationale

Mt Wokou is the only known global location for the critically endangered species Loudetiopsis baldwinii (CR) and is under threat from quarrying.

Site description

Mt Wokou is a large granite inselberg located on the southern side of Macenta town, near the N1 road in Macenta Prefecture, Guinee Forestière. It is the largest inselberg in the area.

Botanical significance

The inselberg has one point endemic species Loudetiopsis baldwinii, which is Critically Endangered and several threatened species. The inselberg has not been surveyed comprehensively and it is likely that other interesting species will be found with more investigation.

Habitat and geology

The inselberg is a result of a Mesozoic igneous intrusion into the surrounding older Archean metamorphic base rocks. It is part of a band on igneous intrusions, perhaps a sill or dyke which runs northeast-southwest into Sierra Leone.

Conservation issues

There is are granite quarries established on the southwestern and southeastern edge of the inselberg which poses a significant threat to the habitat.

Site assessor(s)

Charlotte Couch, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew

Martin Cheek, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew

IPA criterion A species

Species Qualifying sub-criterion ≥ 1% of global population ≥ 5% of national population 1 of 5 best sites nationally Entire global population Socio-economically important Abundance at site
Loudetiopsis baldwinii C.E.Hubb. A(i) True True True True False Unknown
Utricularia macrocheilos (P.Taylor) P.Taylor A(i), A(iii) True False False False False Unknown
Genlisea barthlottii S.Porembski, Eb.Fisch. & Gemmel A(i) True False False False False Unknown
Osbeckia praviantha Jacq.-Fél. A(i) True True False False False Unknown

Loudetiopsis baldwinii C.E.Hubb.

Qualifying sub-criterion:
A(i)
≥ 1% of global population:
True
≥ 5% of national population:
True
1 of 5 best sites nationally:
True
Entire global population:
True
Socio-economically important:
False
Abundance at site:
Unknown

Utricularia macrocheilos (P.Taylor) P.Taylor

Qualifying sub-criterion:
A(i), A(iii)
≥ 1% of global population:
True
≥ 5% of national population:
False
1 of 5 best sites nationally:
False
Entire global population:
False
Socio-economically important:
False
Abundance at site:
Unknown

Genlisea barthlottii S.Porembski, Eb.Fisch. & Gemmel

Qualifying sub-criterion:
A(i)
≥ 1% of global population:
True
≥ 5% of national population:
False
1 of 5 best sites nationally:
False
Entire global population:
False
Socio-economically important:
False
Abundance at site:
Unknown

Osbeckia praviantha Jacq.-Fél.

Qualifying sub-criterion:
A(i)
≥ 1% of global population:
True
≥ 5% of national population:
True
1 of 5 best sites nationally:
False
Entire global population:
False
Socio-economically important:
False
Abundance at site:
Unknown

IPA criterion C qualifying habitats

Habitat Qualifying sub-criterion ≥ 5% of national resource ≥ 10% of national resource 1 of 5 best sites nationally Areal coverage at site
Granite Inselbergs C(iii) False True True 2

Granite Inselbergs

Qualifying sub-criterion:
C(iii)
≥ 5% of national resource:
False
≥ 10% of national resource:
True
Areal coverage at site:
2

General site habitats

General site habitat Percent coverage Importance
Rocky Areas - Rocky Areas [e.g. inland cliffs, mountain peaks] No value Major

Rocky Areas - Rocky Areas [e.g. inland cliffs, mountain peaks]

Percent coverage:
No value
Importance:
Major

Land use types

Land use type Percent coverage Importance
Extractive industry No value Minor

Extractive industry

Percent coverage:
No value
Importance:
Minor

Threats

Threat Severity Timing
Energy production & mining - Mining & quarrying High Ongoing - increasing

Energy production & mining - Mining & quarrying

Severity:
High
Timing:
Ongoing - increasing

Bibliography

Lisowski, S., 2009

Flore (Angiospermes) de la République de Guinée.

Couch, C., Magassouba, S., Rokni, S. & Cheek, M., 2018

Threatened plants species of Guinea-Conakry: A preliminary checklist

Peerj Preprints

IUCN, 2019

IUCN Red List

Available online

Recommended citation

Charlotte Couch, Martin Cheek (2024) Tropical Important Plant Areas Explorer: Mt Wokou (Guinea). https://tipas.kew.org/site/mt-wokou/ (Accessed on 07/11/2024)