This summary is the results of a socio-legal analysis of the situation of marine protected areas (MPAs) in West African countries: Cape Verde, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritania, Guinea Bissau, Mauritania, Mauritania, Senegal, Mauritania, Mauritania, Senegal and Sierra Leone. This study is based on work carried out over four months within the Regional Network of Marine Protected Areas in West Africa (RAMPAO) 1 based on legal texts (laws, decrees, internal regulations, national strategies...), articles and testimonies. Through a transversal analysis of national systems, the aim is to understand the problems and to highlight the innovations and particularities of MPA management in West African countries.