World Database of Protected Areas
The World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA) is the only global database of terrestrial, coastal and marine protected areas. It is a joint effort between IUCN and UNEP, managed by UNEP-WCMC, to compile protected area information for all countries in the world from governments and other authoritative organizations which are referred to as data providers. The WDPA underpins the Protected Planet website, where it can be viewed and downloaded and the database is integrated with other relevant information.
IUCN officially defines a protected area as ' a clearly defined geographical space, recognised, dedicated and managed, through legal or other effective means, to achieve the long term conservation of nature with associated ecosystem services and cultural values'.
In order to be included in WDPA a site must meet the following standards: (1) the site meets the IUCN definition of a protected area; (2) spatial data from a GIS and an associated list of attributes is made available, (3) the source of information is provided, and (4) the WDPA Data Contributor Agreement is signed.
The WDPA is based on the Geographic Coordinate System: World Geodetic Survey (WGS) 1984. Each protected area in the WDPA is either represented as a polygon boundary, or if unavailable, a point location. WPDA stores up to 29 descriptors, or data attributes, of which 12 are mandatory.
Protected areas come in many shapes and sizes, ranging from strict nature reserves where only scientific research is permitted, to areas that allow natural resources to be used – as long as it is at sustainable levels. Protected areas can also be designated at different levels: national, regional or international. For instance, natural World Heritage sites designated by UNESCO are internationally recognised as being of the highest global conservation significance.
WDPA is updated on a monthly basis, and currently contains more than 200,000 polygons and more than 20,000 data points, which represent almost 15% of terrestrial land and 7.5% of the global oceans . The entire spatial database can be downloaded as a ZIP file and contains the polygon and points database in ESRI Shapefile format.