Iron ore mine in the Mount Nimba area  

SMFG (Société des Mines de Fer de Guinée) is leading exploration to examine the potential to develop an iron ore mine in the Mount Nimba area (Republic of Guinea, West-Africa).

GIS-files as results

Inventories in the past have proven that the Nimba area is a centre of endemism and of high species diversity. Also the area is designated as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Bureau Waardenburg bv was requested by SMFG to contribute to the botanical research and GIS analysis of the Nimba area.

GIS-files are the main results of this project. Besides the satellite images and the vegetation samples, other datasets are used to improve the classification, such as a geological map, topographical maps, Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) and a Digital Elevation Model (DEM).

Based on this satellite image classification, a bioquality map was created. Finally distribution maps of rare species are presented.

Vegetation class satellite image classification and distribution of rare plant species

The first objective was to create a vegetation class satellite image classification of Mt. Nimba based on a SPOT satellite image and vegetation samples on the ground. The second goal was to give an overview of the distribution of rare plant species.

Both parts of the study were based on a rapid botanical survey (RBS), with sampling campaigns in Nov-Dec 2007 and Jul-Aug 2008 (Hawthorne, 2009).

The results of this study are used for (environmental) impact assessment studies. 

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