An urgent appeal to safeguard the last refuge of Feliciadamia stenocarpa

Dear Donors and Partners in Conservation,

Across the world, species disappear quietly. Often, the warning signs are seen too late, and action comes after loss. Today, we are writing because there is still time—but that time is narrow.

At Mont Konossou, in Guinea Forestière, lies the last known refuge of Feliciadamia stenocarpa, a plant classified as Critically Endangered and found nowhere else on Earth. Its survival now depends entirely on what we collectively choose to do in the coming months.

What has already been done

Local communities, fully aware of the global importance of this species, have not waited.Together with local authorities and the Club des Amis de Guéckédou, they have taken concrete, on-the-ground actions:

• Regular community-led patrols to monitor and protect the site

• Environmental education activities to ensure long-term local ownership of conservation

• Tree planting and ecosystem restoration efforts to stabilize the habitat

• Continuous sensitization of nearby villages to reduce pressure on this fragile area

These efforts are not symbolic. They are real, sustained, and rooted in the conviction that extinction is not inevitable if action is taken early enough.

What is urgent now

Despite these achievements, the threats remain real and immediate: habitat degradation, uncontrolled access, climate stress, and the absence of a fully secured legal protection status.

What is urgently needed now includes:

• Strengthening and expanding site protection and surveillance

• Supporting scientific research and monitoring of Feliciadamia stenocarpa

• Accelerating the process toward formal protection of Mont Konossou

• Scaling up community conservation livelihoods to ensure protection is sustainable

• Sustained investment in education and local stewardship

Without additional support, the progress achieved so far risks being overtaken by time.

A sincere word of gratitude

We wish to express our deepest gratitude to BirdLife International, One Tree Planted, and IDEAS For Us for hearing our call and standing with us.

Your support has already enabled:

• Environmental education programs

• Community-led conservation actions

• Tree planting and habitat restoration

• Local engagement to safeguard a species of global importance

Because of you, protection is already happening—not tomorrow, but today.

We need you to act NOW not tomorrow

We are reaching out to conservation organizations, foundations, and partners who understand that some places cannot be replaced and some losses cannot be reversed.

Mont Konossou is one of those places.Feliciadamia stenocarpa is one of those species.

By acting now, you help ensure that future generations will speak of this species as saved, not lost.

We invite you to join this effort—before it is too late.

With respect, urgency, and hope,

The Club des Amis de Guéckédou On behalf of the communities of Bolodou and Kassadou

Members of the Club des Amis de Gueckedou with the Local Authorities in Kassadou