African Tree Islands

Bioko is a mountainous, volcanic tree island covered in green lush forests situated in the Gulf of Guinea as part of Equatorial Guinea.

About the Gulf of Guinea’s Bioko African Tree Island

Before European exploration, the island was inhabited by the marginalized but fierce Bubi people. Bioko Tree Island was known as Fernando Pó, named after the Portuguese explorer Fernão do Pó, who was the first European to discover the island in 1472. 

In 1778, the Portuguese ceded control of Bioko to Spain as part of a treaty, and it became a Spanish colony. The Spanish used the island as a base for the transatlantic slave trade.

The Bubi, once the dominant group on Bioko Tree Island, saw their numbers decline due to conflict and disease from Portuguese expeditions. In the 1960s, Bubi leaders sought independence from mainland Equatorial Guinea, facing harsh repression, resulting in deaths and exile.

After many battles between the local African population and European conquerors in 1968, Equatorial Guinea, including Bioko, was granted independence from Spain. In 1973, the tree island was renamed Bioko.

Bioko Tree Island is home to Malabo, the capital of Equatorial Guinea, which is located on the northern coast of the island. Malabo is the country’s political and economic center.

The tree island has a population of over 300,000, with a mix of ethnic groups. Bioko Tree Island is at the heart of Equatorial Guinea’s oil industry, with facilities for extraction and processing.

Bioko is covered in tropical rainforest, especially in the southern and central regions, which remain largely undisturbed. 

The tree island’s dominant tree species; the Kapok, African mahogany, Ebony, Fig, Palm oil and Mangrove trees are essential for protecting wildlife but also they play a key role in maintaining ecological balance, stabilizing the climate, and supporting local tribal communities. 

As part of the Congo Basin’s broader ecosystem, Bioko’s rainforests contribute to global carbon sequestration, making them essential for combating climate change and preserving tropical biodiversity.

By holding the line against deforestation and habitat loss, Bioko Tree Island and its fellow tree islands not only preserve biodiversity but also protect the intricate balance of the global climate. 

Bioko tree island impacts everything from the air quality the world breathes to the hurricanes that sweep across the Atlantic.

Did you know?

In 1993, Bubi activists formed the Movimiento de Autodeterminacion de la Isla de Bioko (MAIB) to challenge ongoing discrimination?

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