Southern Gulf of Guinea

68,500 square kilometers of new and improved protections

Lead Partners: Wildlife Conservation Society

The southern Gulf of Guinea is home to an important diversity of sharks and rays, including the open ocean whale shark, the giant Manta ray, and the iconic scalloped hammerhead.

The waters of the southern Gulf of Guinea represent a key transition area between the warmer, more turbid waters of the Gulf of Guinea and the cooler waters of southern Africa. These upwelling zones support some of the most productive coastal and offshore fisheries in the world. These waters also harbor several globally important populations of sea turtles, (including the single largest global nesting grounds for leatherback turtles in Africa), more than 70 species of sharks and ray, and habitat for many large marine mammals.  

This astounding biodiversity is threatened by overfishing and a lack of adequate protection. Whilst the region’s fisheries are not as developed as the more northern West African nations, they still face unregulated and often illegal exploitation, with industrial foreign fishing fleets and semi-commercial artisanal fleets posing a major threat to the livelihoods of local fishing communities.   

In recognition of these pervasive threats, there is a growing interest and action by both the Gabonese and Congolese governments to establish robust protections for the Gulf of Guinea. In Gabon, the creation of Africa’s single largest ocean conservation area network in 2017 (representing 26% of the country’s exclusive economic zone) was the result of five years of significant investment in building political will, establishing baseline datasets, and legal and institutional reform under the Gabon Bleu Initiative. Meanwhile, the Republic of Congo is working to build upon its progress in terrestrial conservation to establish and fortify a growing network of ocean conservation areas. The two countries see the creation of the recently established Congo Marine Initiative and the planned transboundary park as a means to address rampant illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing and build overall stability and security across the region.  

Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) has been instrumental in championing the creation of MPAs in both Gabon and the Republic of Congo, including the establishment of the transboundary park. With 30+ years of experience in the region, WCS was the key partner in working with Gabon and the Republic of Congo to develop the Gabon Bleu and Congo Marine Initiatives.  

In partnership with WCS, the Blue Nature Alliance is working to help Gabon and the Republic of Congo strengthen the transboundary management of 55,500 square kilometers of existing MPAs and catalyze the creation of new ocean conservation areas spanning 13,000 square kilometers in the Gulf of Guinea. Alliance support in the region will go towards 1) building the transboundary management capacity of associated government institutions and technical partners and 2) increasing compliance and support for MPA regulations through the establishment of community fishing zones along the Gulf of Guinea’s coast.