Over the past 30 years, the Comoros have suffered from one of the highest rates of deforestation in the world and rank in the top ten countries most vulnerable to coral reef degradation. This is in part due to inequalities in how land and resources were allocated at independence, forcing poorer people into livelihoods based on unsustainable resource extraction. Subsequently, pressure on natural resources has been exacerbated by dependency on agriculture and fishing for 80% of livelihoods, widespread poverty (Comoros is ranked at 156 out of 189 countries on the Human Development Index), and a fast-growing population. Consequently, the natural resource base, whether terrestrial or marine, is not being given time to regenerate, and is rapidly being depleted. This process, made worse by the impacts of climate change, threatens the viability of both livelihoods and biodiversity. A stark statistic is that only ten rivers on Anjouan still flow permanently, compared to fifty around forty years ago.

Efforts to reverse these trends since the 1980s have been largely unsuccessful. The country's first protected area was created on the island of Moheli in 2001, and subsequent efforts led to the creation of terrestrial and marine protected areas on each island in 2020. However, laws relating to these protected areas and environmentally destructive practices lack support and application at the local level. Despite their reliance on natural resources, farmers and fishers - particularly women - are often excluded from access to resources, services, and decision-making, preventing them from playing an active role in conserving their ecosystems. A lack of social cohesion and respected leadership at this level also stymies collective community-based conservation action.