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

8,507

999 with management effectiveness evaluations

Polygons/Points ratio

89% Polygons

11% Points

Number of sources

For International designations 30
For National designations 147
For Regional designations 2
TOTAL 179

Protected areas coverage (Ref 1 ↓ )

Area terrestrial

17.08% coverage

4,337,332 km2 Land Area Protected

29,410,435 km2 Total Land Area

Area marine

4.3% coverage

1,069,111 km2 Marine Area Protected

14,041,451 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 39 0.0
Ib 25 0.0
II 347 4.0
III 39 0.0
IV 336 3.0
V 60 0.0
VI 220 2.0
Not Reported 7236 85.0
Not Assigned 77 0.0
Not Applicable 128 1.0

Governance types

Name Governance type Count %
Federal or national ministry or agency 3180 37.0
Not Reported 2838 33.0
Local communities 212 2.0
Individual landowners 968 11.0
Collaborative governance 217 2.0
Government-delegated management 42 0.0
Joint governance 4 0.0
Non-profit organisations 28 0.0
Indigenous peoples 27 0.0
For-profit organisations 1 0.0
Sub-national ministry or agency 989 11.0
Transboundary governance 1 0.0

Countries & territories

Countries & territories

Name Code
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
Mali MLI
Rwanda RWA
Niger NER
Nigeria NGA
Tunisia TUN
São Tomé and Príncipe STP
Sudan SDN
Western Sahara ESH
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
Mauritius MUS
Namibia NAM
Eswatini, the Kingdom of SWZ
Seychelles SYC
South Africa ZAF
Cabo Verde CPV
Liberia LBR
Mauritania MRT
Senegal SEN
Sierra Leone SLE
Togo TGO

National designations

153

Categories Count
Reforestation Area 7
Private Reserve 19
Community Nature Reserve 28
Community Wildlife Sanctuary 1
Proposed Marine Park 1
Forest Managed Biological Reserve 2
Collaborative Fishery Management Area 2
Private Nature Reserve 1
National Reserve 33
Marine protected landscape 3
Wildlife Management Area 106
Game Management Area 34
Marine Nature Park 1
Regional Natural Park 1
Private Protected Area 2
Game Sanctuary 2
Hunting Reserve 26
Group Ranch 1
Marine Park 17
Natural Reserve 7
Marine National Park 15
Controlled Hunting Area 18
Biosphere Reserve 4
Total Wildlife Reserve 9
MSP Zone 1 1
Forest Reserve 3705
National Forest Park 1
Endemic garden 1
Mountain Catchment Area 16
Biotope Protection Order 5
Partial Reserve 3
Forest Reserve and Game Controlled Area 1
Natural Heritage Protected Area 1
Integral National Reserve 1
New Protected Area 5
Nature Monument 2
Cultural Park 2
Hunting Area 21
Managed Nature Reserve 1
Natural Park 27
Game reserve 19
Game Reserve 58
Marine National Reserve 5
Forest Integral Biological Reserve 5
Partial Natural Reserve 1
Forest Plantation 23
Concession 7
National Sanctuary 6
Wetlands Complex 1
Botanical Reserve 17
Aire Protégée Nationale 4
Partial Faunal Reserve 6
Proposed Protected Area 14
Partial Wildlife Reserve 4
Paysage Harmonieux Protégé 20
Botanical Garden 3
National Park (proposed) 1
Marine Community Protected Area 1
National Nature Reserve 5
Wetland Zone of National Importance 46
Protected Forest 6
Protected Environment 29
No or Non - Hunting Forest Reserve 3
Shell Reserve 4
Bird Reserve 5
Bird Sanctuary 9
Ancient Monument 1
Strict Nature Reserve 20
Permanent Hunting Reserve 185
Sanctuary and Closed Forest Reserve 1
Protected Area 29
Area of absolute protection 1
Multiple Use Management Area 11
National Faunal Reserve 1
Waterfowl Hunting Block 1
Private Ranch 4
Sanctuary 19
Conservation Area 6
Multiple Sustainable Use Reserve 1
Protected Landscape 8
Other Area 6
Aquatic Reserve 11
Recreation Park 9
Community Conservancy 21
Geological Protected Area 1
Marine Protected Area 36
Communal Conservancy 79
Forest Nature Reserve 53
Game Production Reserve 5
Locally Managed Marine Area 36
Classified Forest 438
Community Wildlife Management Area 5
Wetland Reserve 1
Community Reserve 1
National Forest Priority Area 58
Open area 24
Wildlife management area 13
Developing Resources Protected Area 1
Faunal Reserve 39
Safari Area 16
Turtle Reserve 2
Area protected for habitat and species 1
Fishing Reserve 6
Islet National Park 8
State Forest 43
Forest Wilderness Area 12
Nature Conservation Reserve 2
Scientific Reserve 4
Game Sanctuary / Non-hunting Forest Reserve 1
Not Reported 29
Wildlife Sanctuary 25
Satellite Reserve 1
Chimpanzee Sanctuary 1
National Park - Buffer zone/Area of adhesion 1
Marine Nature Reserve 1
Buffer Zone 2
Community Forest 34
Nature Forest Reserve 1
Community Wildlife Reserve 1
Faunal Reseve 4
Hunting reserve 1
Presidential Reserve 1
National Park 409
Game controlled area 19
Biological and Ecological Interest Site 69
Reserve 2
Natural Monument 26
Terrestrial protected area 2
National Monument 1
Marine Reserve 2
Protected Harmonious Landscape 1
Nature Conservation Area 4
Reserve de ressource naturel 1
Hunting Zone 3
Special Reserve 33
Special Nature Reserve 2
Classified Forest and Community Reserve 1
Wildlife Reserve 46
Marine Park Buffer Zone 9
Nature Reserve 1519
MSP Zone 2 1
Nature reserve 6
Recreational Park 3
Integral Nature Reserve 2
Faunal reserve 1
Resource Reserve 1
National Park - Core Area 1
Réserve de Ressources Naturelles 1
Integrale Nature Reserve 1
Primate Nature Reserve 1
Biological Reserve 1
Environmental Protection Area 1
Land acquired by Conservatoire du Littoral (national seaside and lakeside conservancy) 41

Regional designations

1

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

International designations

3

Categories Count
World Heritage Site (natural or mixed) 56
UNESCO-MAB Biosphere Reserve 82
Ramsar Site, Wetland of International Importance 396