The Banc d’Arguin National Park (abbreviated to PNBA in French), located in the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, was created in 1976. Thanks to its size (12,000 km2) and remarkable biodiversity, it is the most important Marine Protected Area in western Africa.
The PNBA ecosystem is exceptionally rich in nutrients owing to a vast expanse of marshland covered with sea- grass beds, a significant volume of windblown sediment from the continent, and the results of permanent upwell- ing1 around the Cap Blanc. This wealth ensures that the local marine and coastal environment remains sufficiently rich and diverse to support important communities of fish, birds and marine mammals.