The concept of governance advocated for by international forums on sustainable development is emerging as the leading contemporary paradigm for natural resource management. Protected areas can be construed as a means for attaining the objectives defined in the conventions that created them. In this paper, the author uses the example of the public policies applied to three marine protected areas in West Africa to analyze the problems facing the implementation of environmental governance. The lessons drawn from how the West African marine protected areas are managed compel one to recognize the undeniable need to retool public policy in two regards: establish close coordination between the various tiers of power and decision-making, and redefine the role of the State as mediator and arbitrator.