Aires protégées aquatiques et activités interlopes sur le littoral gabonais

Abstract

Abstract Protected Water Areas and Illegal Activities on Gabon’s Coastline Since 2002, Gabon has been committed to a policy of biodiversity conservation through institutional and legal efforts to regulate and manage maritime areas. Interest in the maritime and coastal domains has led to the creation of Aquatic Protected Areas (APAs), ecosystems that are home to unique reservoirs of biodiversity. Thanks to these tools, Gabon aims to sustainably exploit and conserve its marine and coastal resources. However, this determination is undermined by a variety of illegal activities. The aim of this article is to reveal the main illegal uses perpetrated in the APAs and the means to counter them. For this purpose, a literature review was carried out, as well as a fieldwork based on semi-directive interviews with administrative agents, economic promoters and local residents of APAs.