Client

Fauna & Flora International

Region

São Tomé & Príncipe

Year

2021 – 2022

Areas

Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), Stakeholder Engagement, Marine Spatial Planning, Participatory Governance

Context & Challenge

Creating Marine Protected Areas is rarely only about biodiversity conservation. In practice, it involves navigating competing priorities between fisheries, governance structures, local livelihoods and long-term conservation goals.

In São Tomé & Príncipe, the development of the country’s first national network of Marine Protected Areas required building dialogue and trust between institutions, coastal communities, NGOs and fisheries stakeholders, while also strengthening the technical and governance foundations needed for long-term implementation.

Working with Fauna & Flora International and local partners, I supported participatory planning and stakeholder engagement processes contributing to the design of the national MPA network. The work combined facilitation, marine spatial planning and collaborative governance approaches to help align conservation priorities with local socio-economic realities.

My Role

• Coordinated participatory planning and stakeholder engagement processes involving fisheries representatives, government institutions, NGOs and local communities.
• Facilitated workshops, consultations and collaborative governance discussions supporting the establishment of the national MPA network.
• Contributed to marine spatial planning and conservation processes through spatial analysis and evidence-based approaches.
• Supported discussions on sustainable livelihood diversification linked to marine conservation and coastal development.
• Contributed to technical and donor reporting processes for international partners and funding institutions.

Results & Impact

• Contributed to the development of São Tomé & Príncipe’s first national network of Marine Protected Areas.
• Strengthened collaboration and dialogue between government institutions, NGOs, fisheries stakeholders and coastal communities.
• Supported participatory approaches to marine conservation and sustainable coastal development.
• Contributed to governance processes integrating conservation priorities with local socio-economic realities.

Partners & Funding

Fauna & Flora International in collaboration with Blue Action Fund and local and international partners.

Related Resources

• Scientific publication – Conservation Science and Practice
  Nuno, A., Madruga, L., Cameron, A., Airaud, F., Andrade, C., Nazaré, L., Santos, A., Graça, M., Guedes, M., da Rocha, N., Puig, P., Walker, K., Murray, K., Rosendo, S., & Mulligan, B. (2024). Establishing a Marine Protected Area network using a Marine Spatial Planning approach: A reflection on practical challenges and opportunities for social–ecological integration. Conservation Science and Practice, 6(10), e13196.
• Blue Action Fund – Project Overview