Somalia has 21 protected areas. These are point records, with no reported area, so it is not possible to provide an area for the coverage of these protected areas (UNEP-WCMC & IUCN, 2019r). There has been no effective biodiversity resource management and formal protection for protected areas since the collapse of the central government in 1991.

The most serious concern is the lack of effective legislation concerning the management of the protected areas and the absence of a functioning conservation infrastructure. Eleven wildlife areas have been declared since the 1970s, but only two were thought to be functional. In practice, there has been no formal protection offered to any of these sites since the early 1990s.

In the marine environment, four marine protected areas have been proposed: the Saad ad- Dim Island and Aibat in Western Somaliland close to Zeila, a historic town; Maydh Island in Puntland with the neighbouring Daalo forest on the mainland; and Gara’ad on the Indian Ocean coast of Puntland. The latter was declared as an MPA in 2005 by the local fishers’ association GARFISH. Saad-ad-din Island and Maydh Island are important sea bird breeding areas.

The coral reefs at Saad ad-Din Island represent the most diverse and well-formed reefs on the Gulf of Aden coast.

Transboundary protected and conserved areas

Somalia includes part of the Tana-Kipini-Laga Badana Bushbush Land and Seascape transboundary conservation areas.

Policy context

A comprehensive report on legislation and policy related to protected area management, governance, and equity was undertaken by the BIOPAMA programme. It identified 10 relevant laws and policies in Somalia (Tessema, 2019). 

Key species

Key species83 Endemism in the Horn of Africa, of which Somalia is part, is high. Studies of species diversity in Somalia have been infrequent, but it is believed to be home to more than 175 mammal species and 671 bird species. Over 3,000 plant species have been recorded, 836 of which are believed to be endemic to the country. Somalia has unique reptiles of 230 species, 80% of them are endemic to Somalia with 29 species of amphibians. There are additional species from Somaliland that have not been recorded. Knowledge of marine and coastal species is low, although these underpin many economic activities on the coast.