Research Alert

1. Researchers present the first local cumulative utilization impact mapping exercise for the Bioko-Corisco-Continental area of Equatorial Guinea’s Exclusive Economic Zone – situated in the Gulf of Guinea, which is one of the most important and least studied marine regions in the Eastern Central Atlantic.

2. The study examines the potential impact of human activities on a suite of key marine species and reveals that the most suitable habitats for these species, located on the continental shelf, are subject to the highest threat scores, yet in some coastal areas, the persistence of highly suitable habitat subject to lower threat scores suggests that there are still several less-impacted areas suitable for protected area expansion.

3. Highlighting both the areas with potentially the highest impact, and those with lower impact levels, as well as particularly damaging activities can inform the direction of future conservation initiatives to protect at least 10% of the world’s oceans within marine protected areas (MPAs) and other effective area-based conservation measures by 2020.

 

Study and Journal:  "Using cumulative impact mapping to prioritise marine conservation efforts in Equatorial Guinea"   from  Frontiers in Marine Science
WCS Co-Author(s):  Hedley Grantham , Conservation Science and Solutions ;  Christian Barrientos, Tim Collins, Angela Formia, Richard Parnell , WCS Equatorial Guinea Program, WCS Marine Program, WCS Ocean Giants Program, WCS Gabon Program

Journal Link:  "Using cumulative impact mapping to prioritise marine conservation efforts in Equatorial Guinea"