Africa

The designations employed and the presentation of material on this map do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.

Number of Countries

58

Number of Protected areas

8,418

191 with management effectiveness evaluations

Polygons/Points ratio

4% Polygons

0% Points

Number of sources

For International designations 29
For National designations 121
For Regional designations 2
TOTAL 152

Protected areas coverage (Ref 1 ↓ )

Area terrestrial

14.22% coverage

4,271,629 km2 Land Area Protected

30,048,426 km2 Total Land Area

Area marine

11.34% coverage

1,693,980 km2 Marine Area Protected

14,935,206 km2 Total Marine Area

Warning: These statistics might differ from those reported officially by countries due to difference in methodologies and datasets used to assess protected area coverage and differences in the base maps used to measure terrestrial and marine area of a country or territory.

Learn how we calculate protected area coverage statistics

IUCN Management categories

Management categories Count %
Ia 35 0.0
Ib 26 0.0
II 343 4.0
III 98 1.0
IV 420 4.0
V 61 0.0
VI 357 4.0
Not Reported 6857 81.0
Not Assigned 77 0.0
Not Applicable 144 1.0

Governance types

Name Governance type Count %
Federal or national ministry or agency 3673 43.0
Not Reported 2381 28.0
Local communities 260 3.0
Individual landowners 933 11.0
Joint governance 8 0.0
Transboundary governance 6 0.0
Collaborative governance 69 0.0
Government-delegated management 42 0.0
Non-profit organisations 30 0.0
Indigenous peoples 27 0.0
For-profit organisations 3 0.0
Sub-national ministry or agency 986 11.0

Countries & territories

Countries & territories

Name Code
Western Sahara ESH
Algeria DZA
Burundi BDI
Angola AGO
Botswana BWA
Benin BEN
Burkina Faso BFA
Egypt EGY
Central African Republic CAF
Cameroon CMR
Democratic Republic of Congo COD
Congo COG
Gabon GAB
Côte D'Ivoire CIV
Ghana GHA
Guinea GIN
Gambia GMB
Guinea-Bissau GNB
Libya LBY
Malawi MWI
Morocco MAR
Kenya KEN
Lesotho LSO
Madagascar MDG
Mozambique MOZ
Mauritius MUS
Rwanda RWA
Niger NER
Nigeria NGA
Tunisia TUN
São Tomé and Príncipe STP
Sudan SDN
Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha SHN
Uganda UGA
Zambia ZMB
Zimbabwe ZWE
Mayotte MYT
Réunion REU
Equatorial Guinea GNQ
Chad TCD
Djibouti DJI
Eritrea ERI
Ethiopia ETH
Somalia SOM
South Sudan SSD
United Republic of Tanzania TZA
Comoros COM
Namibia NAM
Eswatini, the Kingdom of SWZ
Seychelles SYC
South Africa ZAF
Cabo Verde CPV
Liberia LBR
Mali MLI
Mauritania MRT
Senegal SEN
Sierra Leone SLE
Togo TGO

National designations

149

Categories Count
Marine Reserve 2
Nature Monument 2
Nature Reserve 1486
National Park 465
Biological Reserve 14
Marine Park 14
Forest Reserve 3672
Private Reserve 19
National Reserve 37
National Sanctuary 5
Natural Monument 26
Marine Protected Area 50
National Park - Core Area 1
Presidential Reserve 1
Protected Area 29
Marine National Park 14
Wildlife Sanctuary 26
Wildlife Reserve 46
Natural Park 26
Protected Landscape 8
Wilderness Area 1
National Monument 1
Recreation Park 9
Strict Nature Reserve 19
Faunal Reserve 37
Integral nature reserve 2
Natural Reserve 2
Game Reserve 77
Special Reserve 32
National Nature Reserve 3
Safari Area 16
Sanctuary 18
Controlled Hunting Area 18
Scientific Reserve 4
Biosphere Reserve 4
Reserve 1
Partial Reserve 3
Hunting Zone 3
Partial Faunal Reserve 5
Partial Wildlife Reserve 4
Total Wildlife Reserve 9
Conservation Area 6
Nature Conservation Area 4
Community Nature Reserve 28
Integral Nature Reserve 2
Wetland Reserve 1
Protected Forest 6
Game Management Area 36
Wildlife Management Area 119
Regional Nature Park 1
Regional Park 3
Resource Reserve 6
Classified Forest 438
Faunal reserve 1
No or Non - Hunting Forest Reserve 3
Hunting Area 26
Shell Reserve 4
Nature reserve 23
Botanical Reserve 17
Marine National Reserve 6
Environmental Protection Area 1
Locally Managed Marine Area 37
Bird Sanctuary 10
Hunting Reserve 26
Fishery Reserve 5
National Forest Park 1
Community Wildlife Management Area 5
Other Area 6
Game Sanctuary / Non-hunting Forest Reserve 1
Partial Fauna Reserve 1
Marine Nature Reserve 1
Special Nature Reserve 2
Not Reported 25
Nature Conservation Reserve 2
Aquatic Reserve 11
Multiple Use Management Area 11
Biological and Ecological Interest Site 101
Forest Managed Biological Reserve 3
Forest Integral Biological Reserve 5
Wetland Zone of National Importance 46
Land Acquired By Conservatoire Du Littoral (National Seaside And Lakeside Conservancy) 41
Private Ranch 4
Game Sanctuary 2
Conservation and Development Area 1
State Forest 43
Bird Reserve 5
National Forest Priority Area 58
Game controlled area 19
Mountain Catchment Area 16
Forest Nature Reserve 70
Community Conservancy 21
Community Wildlife Sanctuary 1
Sanctuary and Closed Forest Reserve 1
Biotope Protection Order 5
National Park - Buffer Zone/Area Of Adhesion 1
Ecological Park 1
Community Conservation Area 3
Private Nature Reserve 1
Botanical Garden 3
Community Reserve 2
Chimpanzee Sanctuary 1
Private Protected Area 2
Marine Community Protected Area 1
Primate Nature Reserve 1
Protected Environment 39
Paysage Harmonieux Protégé 16
Reserve de ressource naturel 1
Community Forest 37
Marine Nature Park 1
Reforestation Area 7
Flora Sanctuary 1
Multiple Sustainable Use Reserve 1
Communal Conservancy 79
Concession 7
Developing Resources Protected Area 1
Geological Protected Area 1
Natural Heritage Protected Area 1
Community Wildlife Reserve 1
Wetlands Complex 1
Réserve de Ressources Naturelles 1
New Protected Area 4
Nouvelle Aire Protégée 1
Group Ranch 1
Hunting reserve 1
Forest Wilderness Area 12
Islet National Park 8
Ancient Monument 1
Area of absolute protection 1
Marine protected landscape 3
Area protected for habitat and species 1
Terrestrial protected area 2
Managed Nature Reserve 1
Buffer Zone 7
Endemic garden 1
Partial Natural Reserve 1
Open area 24
Forest Plantation 23
Marine Park Buffer Zone 9
MSP Zone 1 1
MSP Zone 2 1
Voluntary Nature Reserve 1
Marine Protected Area (MPA) 3
Natural resource management area 4
Satellite Reserve 1
Recreational Park 3
Fishing Reserve 1
Turtle Reserve 2
Collaborative Fishery Management Area 1
Habitat and species management reserve 1

Regional designations

1

Categories Count
Specially Protected Areas of Mediterranean Importance (Barcelona Convention) 6

International designations

3

Categories Count
UNESCO-MAB Biosphere Reserve 87
World Heritage Site (natural or mixed) 57
Ramsar Site, Wetland of International Importance 409