They write, "Some of the world’s most valuable coastal and marine ecosystems are found in the West African Marine Ecoregion and these are being threatened by a range of factors – notably fi shing, land-based pollution, coastal development, dam building in river basins, tourism, climate change and, more recently, by a renewed interest on the part of the oil and gas industry. Virtually the whole coastal and marine zones – including hotspots of biodiversity, key fishing grounds and important tourism areas – have been divided into blocks open for oil and gas exploration. Many companies are looking for oil and gas and one consortium is already producing.