Brief project description: The project comes at a time when Angola's economy is increasingly dependent on marine resources and mineral oil and there is increasing movement of the population to coastal areas. This is particularly important because development pressures from fisheries, oil and gas exploration and coastal development could potentially result in mounting pressures on the country's natural marine resources and biodiversity. Moreover, the rich marine natural resources on which these three economic sectors depend are especially vulnerable to such pressures. However, in part as a result of the low oil prices, there is currently large interest in the government of Angola in the diversification of the economy, including through developing the significant potential for tourism. This interest as well as Angola's international obligations under agreements such as CBD and CITES have reinforced political support for the expansion and strengthening of the country's marine protected areas (MPA) system.This project aims to address the negative impacts of unsustainable sector-led development practices on biodiversity-rich coastal and marine ecosystems of Angola, while taking into account inclusive and equitable social and economic development for dependent communities and local economies, as well as safeguarding against threats to marine biodiversity from unplanned and haphazard developments. The objective of the project is to expand the protected area network into the marine environment through the creation of Angola's first marine protected area.The project recognizes the fact that the seascapes underpin the lives and livelihoods of a large number of local communities and that implementation of a coherent strategy to promote sustainable, biodiversity-friendly livelihood and economic options is an integral part of the solution. The project objective is to be achieved through the implementation of three inter-related and mutually complementary Project Outcomes that are focussed on addressing existing barriers. The three Outcomes of the project are:• Outcome 1: Strengthened policy, legal and institutional framework for creation and management of Marine Protected Areas;• Outcome 2: Integrated management plan implemented for a priority high biodiversity marine protected area to protect endangered marine species and reduce threats; and• Outcome 3: Lessons learned through knowledge management, monitoring and evaluation, and equitable gender mainstreaming available to support the creation and implementation of MPAs nationally and internationally