Nature in Equatorial Guinea

Nature in Equatorial Guinea spans the continental region of Río Muni and the islands of Bioko and Annobón. Habitats include rainforest, swamp and floodplain forest, mangroves, rivers and estuaries, coastal waters, and highland vegetation. Bioko is volcanic and includes Pico Basilé at 3,011 metres and the Caldera de Luba. These landscapes differ in species, access, local use and exposure to flooding, erosion and landslides. Ley Núm. 6/2025 provides the current legal framework for protected areas. The national system includes five national parks, two natural monuments, two scientific reserves, five natural reserves and two marine protected areas. Protected land covers approximately 5,228 square kilometres, or 19.27% of the national territory, while marine protection covers approximately 730 square kilometres, or 0.24%. Key conservation areas include Monte Alén, Pico Basilé, Río Campo, Altos de Nsork, Djibloho, Caldera de Luba, Playa Nendjy, the Muni Estuary, Punta Ilende, Corisco and the Elobeyes, and Annobón. Caldera de Luba, covering about 62,900 hectares, is on UNESCO's Tentative List. Three Ramsar wetlands cover approximately 136,000 hectares: Isla de Annobón, the Muni Estuary Natural Reserve and Río Ntem o Campo. Wetlands provide fish spawning and nursery grounds, reduce flooding and coastal damage, and protect mangroves, peat areas and wet grasslands. Their protection therefore affects both biodiversity and daily resource security. The country has at least 23 primate species. Bioko has 11 primate species, including six classified as threatened, as well as island-specific and endemic species. Gorillas, chimpanzees, forest elephants, manatees, forest birds and waterbirds are among the other notable wildlife. Marine turtles recorded in the country include green turtles, olive ridleys, leatherbacks, loggerheads and hawksbills. Their scientific names are Chelonia mydas, Lepidochelys olivacea, Dermochelys coriacea, Caretta caretta and Eretmochelys imbricata. People use natural resources for food, medicine, aromatic products, ornaments, timber and non-timber forest products. Subsistence and traditional use remain significant in some areas, including hunting, bushmeat use, small-scale coastal and island fishing, and agriculture that can include shifting cultivation. Commercial extraction requires closer regulatory control because it can intensify wildlife loss, forest damage and pressure on fish stocks. Conservation policy must therefore address both illegal commercial activity and the practical needs of communities using local resources. The Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Forests, Fisheries and the Environment, the Ministry of Tourism, and state protected-area, forestry and fisheries administrations share relevant responsibilities. The Sistema Nacional de Áreas Protegidas, abbreviated SNAP, is the national protected-area system. Equatorial Guinea also works within international frameworks including the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Ramsar Convention, the Convention on Migratory Species and the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere programme. The 2025–2030 biodiversity strategy gives attention to biodiversity education, research, species identification, monitoring and capacity-building. Nature-based visits can include trekking, landscape and wildlife observation, visits to Monte Alén, Pico Basilé and the Ureka waterfalls, visits to the Parque Nacional de Malabo, and observation of nesting sea turtles. Access depends on the area, transport, infrastructure, season and local authorization. No reliable, centrally published national list of entrance fees, permits or opening hours is available, so visitors should confirm the current conditions with the responsible local authority, protected-area administration or tourism provider before travelling. Natural hazards connected with these environments include intense rainfall, river flooding, landslides, coastal flooding, coastal erosion, sea-level rise and heat. Nature protection can reduce some exposure by maintaining forests, wetlands and mangroves, while emergency response belongs to disaster-management services. Major pressures include illegal commercial activity in protected areas, forest clearance, poaching, bushmeat trade, overfishing, industrial fishing, pollution and fragmentation caused by roads, settlements and agriculture. Protected-area boundaries, categories and purposes need clear mapping. Rules against poaching, illegal clearance and overfishing must be applied alongside meaningful local participation. Parliamentary records from 2025 documented a proposal that peaceful traditional settlements should not face forced eviction or relocation.