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WWF Fact sheet
West African Marine Ecoregion (WAMER)
Dakar Sénégal, +221) 869 37 00 [email protected]
MARINE PROTECTED AREAS
Let nature take a breath
Location and situation
The coastal zone represents a crucial element in the economic
development of West African countries and is of a global
importance for the balance of the whole marine environment.
WAMER, the West African Marine Ecoregion, covers 3,500 km of
coastal and marine habitats of 6 west African countries :
Mauritania, Senegal, The Gambia, Guinea Bissau, Guinea and
Cape Verde and it’s 22 millions inhabitants. The unique
combination of powerful upwelling (strong off-shore winds and
currents which drive surface waters away from the coast allowing
deep nutrient rich waters to rise (upwell) to the surface), make the
WAMER both tremendously productive and remarkably diverse.
The demographic growth, poverty, institutional weakness and the increase of commercial
fishing exerts a dramatic pressure on all marine resources.
Facing the strong exploitation of marine and coastal resources, the role of the MPAs gains
more importance everyday in restoring the ecosystem, protecting key habitats and
contributing to regeneration of species.
What is a Marine Protected Area ?
A Marine Protected Area (MPA) is a zone where the
habitat of species, like fish, birds, turtles, seals, and
mangrove is especially managed to respect
reproduction, nursery and growth of species while
allowing sustainable uses. Marine protected areas are
efficient management tools to manage the environment
sustainably.
They provide important safe havens where seed
populations of fish can thrive and serve as insurance
against overfishing. Female fish in MPAs grow larger
than those in surrounding waters and so produce many
times more eggs, and populations can migrate from
MPAs to repopulate depleted areas, providing a longterm opportunity for fishermen to increase catches.
MPA in the West African Marine Ecoregion
The West African Marine Ecoregion
program is helping to care for 4 existing
Marine Protected Areas in the 6 countries
forming the ecoregion.
National Banc d’Argin Park (PNBA) in
Mauritania is one such MPA. The park,
created in 1976, covers 12,000 Km2 where
the desert meets the sea. Millions of birds,
fish and marine turtles, and a colony of 100
monk seals- the largest breeding colony left
on the face of the earth, find a peaceful
environment in which to live.
The WAMER countries also host wonderful parks such as: National Park Iles de la
Madeleine in Senegal, Tanji Park in Gambia, Joao Viera Park in Guinea Bissau.
Why are MPAs needed ?
Too much pressure is put on the marine resources in the West Africa Marine Ecoregion. The
human impact on the sea has grown enormously in the last 50 years. MPAs have been
created to conserve species and habitats, to maintain ecosystem functioning, to support
fishery management and also to provide a baseline for research. If, for example, the
National Banc d’Arguin Park, in Mauritania hadn’t been established, a key nursery grounds
for sardinella fish would have been destroyed with severe consequences for both local and
European fishers.
The World Summit on Sustainable Development in 2002 set 2012 as a target date for nations
of the world to put in place representative networks of marine protected areas. With just four
MPAs covering six nations, West Africa must expand its network of MPAs, to protect the
wealth of marine biodiversity in the region, and to ensure the long-term sustainability of the
fisheries resources of the region.
Concrete results for conservation benefits:
Well respected, fully-protected marine reserves can lead to at least a doubling in the biomass
of exploited fish species after three to five years protection. Furthermore, reserves create a
mosaic of conditions, allowing different ecological communities to develop a healthier
environment. They serve as a buffer zone from overfishing and can produce spillover effects
that benefit the fisheries of the region over time.
Horizon
At least 4 new MPAs are to be
created over the coming 2 years in
the 6 WAMER countries. WWF
and its West African Marine
Ecoregional programme will
continue to work for the creation of
a regional network of marine
protected areas (MPA) covering all
habitats that are important for local
and migratory species. To reach
this goal, WWF will continue to
work with other organizations to
secure protection of the region's
rich marine resources.
Photo 1: National Park Banc d’Arguin in Mauritania, WWF / Lyne Larochelle
Photo 2: National Park Banc d’Arguin in Mauritania, WWF / Bas Beentjes
Photo 3 Senegal, WWF / Seamus Murphy
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Published by the Communications Unit, WWF WARPO (WAMER West African Marine Ecoregion) Sacré-Coeur
III, B. P. 22928, Dakar, Sénégal © WWF WAMER 2003 Tel.: +221 869 37 00 Fax: +221 869 37 02
[email protected]