Dataset – World Database on Protected Areas

Description

This dataset contains attribute information from the World Database on Protected Areas.

The definition of a protected area adopted by IUCN is: An area of land and/or sea especially dedicated to the protection and maintenance of biological diversity, and of natural and associated cultural resources, and managed through legal or other effective means.

The WDPA allows you to search protected areas data by site name, country, and international programme or convention.

Source

United Nations Environment Programme – World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC). http://www.unep-wcmc.org/index.cfm

Terms and Conditions

Conditions of Use

WDPA Consortium 2006 web-download is available for research, educational purposes and specifically for non-commercial use only. Any use of WDPA materials by an individual or entity operating within or on behalf of any organisation other than a not-for-profit organisation will be deemed to be for a commercial purpose and therefore prohibited. The contents of the WDPA Consortium 2006 web download may not be copied, reproduced, republished, uploaded, posted, transmitted, or distributed, in whole or in part, for any commercial purpose without prior permission.

Rationale

The World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA) provides the most comprehensive dataset on protected areas worldwide and is managed by UNEP-WCMC in partnership with the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) and the World Database on Protected Areas Consortium. The WDPA is a fully relational database containing information on the status, environment and management of individual protected areas.

The WDPA plays a critical role in measuring progress toward global goals and targets and will function "...as a key support mechanism in the assessment and monitoring of protected area status and trends taking into account paragraph 4 of decision VI/7 C of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, as well as national and regional databases on protected areas..."

Update Frequency

Every 6 months – at the start of June and December