Atlas of African protected areas : mapping the complexity of conservation on the continent

This Atlas embodies years of work by the European Commission Joint Research Centre in collaboration with its partners in Africa and further afield to share the knowledge acquired over the many years of work around protected areas in Africa. It aims at providing technical and scientific input of relevance to donors, decision-makers and any other interested stakeholders as well as to the European Commission. The Atlas is not a policy document, it does not aim at providing policy guidance nor does provide an official opinion of the Commission. Its pages present the latest geospatial information that is enriched with descriptions, case studies, and analyses that position the scientific details within the broader policy landscape. Recognising the wide range of area-based conservation approaches in Africa, this Atlas adopts a specific focus on Protected Areas (PAs), reflecting the thematic and methodological framework of the BIOPAMA programme. Outcomes of this Atlas reflect scientific evidence. They constitute one valuable source among others, to inspire governments, institutions and organisations worldwide on possible pathways and (transformative) actions to address environmental and social challenges of our time that are particularly associated with protected and conserved areas.