Status and trends of biodiversity, including benefits from biodiversity and ecosystem services
The content of this biodiversity profile is still draft. The text below has been prepared by SCBD and remains subject to final approval by the Party concerned.
Located in the Gulf of Guinea, Equatorial Guinea is part of the tropical region of the African Atlantic coast. The country consists of two biogeographic divisions (continental and insular), is rich in tropical rainforests, as well as other biodiversity within the context of Africa, and hosts many sources of water due to its continental rivers and islands. Its land area covers more than 28,052 km2, while its continental shelf covers 14,710 km2 and its EEZ 314,000 km2.
In 1990, Equatorial Guinea's economy was largely based on the export of roundwood and previously on the production of cocoa and coffee. Since 1995, the country’s economy has become largely dependent on deposits of oil and natural gas, although the export of roundwood, particularly to Asian forestry companies, still occupies an important place in the economy. Forest cover has declined dramatically over the last 15 years (from 1,670,000 hectares in 1997 to 740,122 hectares in 2013). Moreover, approximately 60% of forests are exploited under leases of logging companies granted by the State. These activities significantly impact on 80-90% of the human population that is directly dependent on forest resources for subsistence.
The country is also home to at least 23 species of primates, which is an extraordinarily high number in relation to the country’s size. Yet many primate species are now threatened with extinction. A particularly critical case exists on Bioko Island where 6 of the 11 primate species found on the island are endangered due to intensive poaching to supply lucrative domestic bushmeat markets. This situation is exacerbated by the fact that forestry operations tend to favor easy access to poachers and that most primates on Bioko Island are not found anywhere else in the world.
Marine biodiversity is of vital importance to the people of the Island of Annobón, where over 80% of the working population is engaged in artisanal fishing. However, the country, as a whole, currently imports 70% of the fish it consumes. On the coast, artisanal fisheries receive little support and there is virtually no community management system for enhancing resilience to the impacts of climate change. This type of situation, which also exists with respect to agriculture, underscores the potential for future food security problems due to a lack of strategies promoting local production and establishment of local markets. Foreign fishing companies are granted licenses by the Ministry of Fisheries and the Environment and primarily fish for tuna.
It is estimated that more than 500 plants and 100 species are used in various forms of traditional medicine. An example is
Prunus Africana, an endemic plant species found on Bioko Island whose bark has been traditionally used to treat a variety of ailments; today it is also sold abroad, primarily to pharmaceutical companies in Spain. The production and sale of ornamental plants is another important economic activity.
Main pressures on and drivers of change to biodiversity (direct and indirect)
The content of this biodiversity profile is still draft. The text below has been prepared by SCBD and remains subject to final approval by the Party concerned.
The main pressures on biodiversity relate to: overhunting, particularly associated with the bushmeat trade, especially on Bioko Island; reduction in forest cover; forest operations which provide easy access to resources for poachers; and problems related to the control, monitoring and evaluation of fisheries activities.
