The Island of Príncipe Biosphere Reserve- Framework for Protection
The Island of Príncipe Biosphere Reserve
In 2012, the entire island of Príncipe — together with its satellite islets and a vast surrounding marine area — was inscribed as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. Some sources mark the official recognition from 2013, but the message was clear: this tiny volcanic outpost in the Gulf of Guinea is one of the planet's most extraordinary natural treasures. Often called the "Galápagos of Africa", Príncipe earned the title through millions of years of isolation and an astonishing concentration of species found nowhere else on Earth.
With the designation of São Tomé as a Biosphere Reserve in 2025, São Tomé and Príncipe quietly became the first nation whose complete territory belongs to UNESCO's World Network of Biosphere Reserves.
Geography and Boundaries
The reserve is unusually comprehensive: it covers every square metre of Príncipe's emerged land plus an extensive marine zone. Total surface area: 71,593 hectares, of which roughly 14,000 ha are terrestrial and 57,600 ha marine.
Key offshore components include the picturesque resort islet of Ilhéu Bom Bom, the jagged Boné do Jóquei (Caroço), Mosteiros, Pedra da Galé, and — 22 km to the southwest — the windswept Tinhosas islands (Tinhosa Grande and Tinhosa Pequena), also recognised as a Ramsar wetland of international importance.
Classic Three-Zone Design
Like all UNESCO Biosphere Reserves, Príncipe is structured in three concentric zones:
Core Area (17,242 ha) : The strictly protected heart. On land, this coincides exactly with the Parque Natural Obô do Príncipe, safeguarding the island's last primary rainforest and the majority of its Critically Endangered and Endangered endemic species.
Buffer Zone : Surrounds the core and permits ecologically sustainable activities such as research, environmental education, and low-impact tourism.
Transition Area: The remainder of the island and nearshore waters where sustainable fishing, agriculture, and community-led development are encouraged.
Governance and Vision
Day-to-day administration falls to the Regional Autonomous Government of Príncipe, which has embraced conservation as the cornerstone of the island's future. The explicit goal is to demonstrate that a small oceanic island can protect its irreplaceable natural heritage while improving the quality of life of its residents through sustainable tourism, scientific research, and responsible resource use.
Legal Reality on the Ground
Despite its global prestige, the Biosphere Reserve still lacks formal legal backing in national legislation of São Tomé and Príncipe. In practice, the older Parque Natural Obô do Príncipe (established 2006) remains the primary enforceable instrument for terrestrial protection, while the UNESCO designation serves as an overarching framework for sustainable development and international visibility.
Far from being a mere label, the 2012 inscription has catalysed a visible increase in nature-based tourism and reinforced Príncipe's reputation as one of the world's most important — and most vulnerable — biodiversity hotspots.
Legislative and Institutional Framework for Protection
The conservation of Príncipe's unique biodiversity is supported by a combination of national protected-area legislation and international designations. Implementation relies primarily on partnerships between the Regional Government of Príncipe and local and international non-governmental organisations.
A. UNESCO Biosphere Reserve Ilha do Príncipe (2012)
In 2012, the entire island of Príncipe, together with its satellite islets (Bom Bom, Boné do Jóquei, Mosteiros, Pedra da Galé, and the Tinhosas islands) and a substantial surrounding marine zone, was designated a UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Reserve. The reserve covers approximately 71,593 hectares.
The designation reflects a deliberate policy of the Regional Autonomous Government of Príncipe to position the island as a global model of sustainable development that integrates biodiversity conservation with human well-being. Although the Biosphere Reserve enjoys strong international recognition, it currently lacks formal legal status under national legislation of São Tomé and Príncipe.
B. Parque Natural Obô do Príncipe (PNP)
Established in 2006 through Law n.º 7/2006, the Parque Natural Obô do Príncipe remains the cornerstone of terrestrial protection on the island. The park encompasses virtually all remaining primary and old-growth native forest, covering roughly 45 % of Príncipe's land area in the rugged southern sector.
The PNP constitutes the core zone of the 2012 UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and is managed under successive management plans (e.g., 2009–2014 and 2015–2020).
Critical importance of the PNP
- Several of Príncipe's most threatened endemic species now survive almost exclusively within the park's boundaries:
- Príncipe Thrush (Turdus xanthorhynchus, Critically Endangered) – restricted to remote, high-elevation native forest in the southern PNP.
- Obô Giant Land Snail (Archachatina bicarinata, Endangered) – confined to the same southern native forest block following severe population decline.
- Príncipe Scops-owl (Otus bikegila) – occurs only in undisturbed native forest inside the park.
- Independent global assessments rank the protected-area system of São Tomé and Príncipe (including the PNP) as the second-most important site worldwide for the conservation of threatened bird species.
C. Main Conservation Actors
Effective on-the-ground conservation is coordinated through a small but active network of organisations:
Fundação Príncipe (Príncipe Trust): Established in 2015 and fully independent since 2016, this local NGO is the principal conservation operator on the island. It employs up to 68 staff (98 % local) and implements terrestrial and marine projects with strong community participation. Key activities include species monitoring, sea-turtle conservation, updating the PNP Management Plan, and developing the Conservation Action Plan for the Obô Giant Land Snail.
Regional Government of Príncipe
Provides political leadership, legal authority, and co-management of the Natural Park and Biosphere Reserve.
Key international and private-sector partners
HBD Príncipe (Here Be Dragons): sustainable tourism and agroforestry company that co-founded Fundação Príncipe and continues to provide financial and logistical support.
Fauna & Flora International (FFI): long-term partner since 2015, focusing on capacity building, research, and monitoring protocols for flagship species.
BirdLife International: coordinates regional programmes (e.g., EU-funded ECOFAC6) and supports implementation of species action plans, notably for the Príncipe Thrush.
This collaborative framework, combining local leadership with targeted international expertise, forms the operational backbone of biodiversity conservation on Príncipe Island.
Future Challenges and Pathways to Sustainable Development
How a tiny island plans to save its unique nature while giving its people a better life
Turning Biodiversity into a Livelihood
Príncipe has chosen a clear path: its irreplaceable forests and endemic species are not a luxury — they are the island's most valuable economic asset.
The Príncipe 2030 vision, launched after the 2012 UNESCO Biosphere Reserve designation, aims to make the island a global benchmark for the Green and Blue Economy. High-end, low-impact ecotourism is the engine. The motto is simple: minimum footprint, maximum experience. Revenue from park fees, boutique lodges and guided expeditions is being channelled back into conservation through mechanisms such as the future EcoTéla Conservation Trust Fund and a public-private tourism platform that promotes sustainable agro-tourism packages. Locals are trained as guides, wardens, and hospitality staff so that the benefits stay on the island.
Filling the Knowledge Gaps
Despite decades of expeditions, huge blanks remain on the map of Príncipe's biodiversity.
New species — even birds and frogs — are still being described. Invertebrates, arachnids, beetles and disease-carrying arthropods are barely studied. The forested interior has never been properly surveyed for biting midges or sandflies. Reptiles and amphibians lack basic data on diet, breeding sites and predator impact.
What is needed now
Island-wide systematic inventories
Taxonomic revisions of poorly known groups
Passive acoustic monitoring for cryptic birds (already revolutionising detection of the Príncipe Scops-owl)
Strong local capacity-building so Santomeans lead the research themselves.
Winning the War Against Invasive Predators
On an oceanic island, introduced mammals are public enemy number one.
Camera traps have caught Mona monkeys raiding nests of the Critically Endangered Príncipe Thrush. Feral cats stalk the forest floor. Rats target eggs and chicks of cavity-nesting species.
Long-term, systematic monitoring programmes are in place for flagship species (Thrush, Obô Giant Snail, Scops-owl), but the next decisive step is island-wide, coordinated predator control, especially inside the Natural Park. Targeted removal or containment of Mona monkeys in core breeding zones, intensive cat and rat management, and strict biosecurity for new introductions are non-negotiable if extinctions are to be prevented.
Making Sure No One Is Left Behind
Conservation will only succeed if local people see real, tangible benefits.
Poverty and rapid population growth still drive over-exploitation of timber, snails and bushmeat. Foreign investment in luxury eco-lodges has pushed up land and food prices, deepening inequality.
The response is deliberate and community-focused:
Training in sustainable beekeeping, poultry farming and market gardening as alternatives to forest extraction
Micro-businesses for coastal villages (sea-turtle monitoring guides, artisanal products)
A planned Natural Park Management Committee with strong community representation to give locals a genuine voice in decisions.
Príncipe's challenge is universal for small islands: protect a world-class natural treasure while lifting people out of poverty. If the balance is struck — through equitable ecotourism, rigorous science, aggressive invasive-species control and genuine local empowerment — this "Galápagos of Africa" can show the planet how to protect the irreplaceable without leaving its own people behind.