World Database on Protected Areas - 2024 release and new point data

The World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA) is the largest collection of data on the world's terrestrial and marine protected areas. The WDPA is a joint venture between the United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre and the International Union for Conservation of Nature World Commission on Protected Areas.

The data published on the AIP platform was previously matching the November 2023 release and it has now been aligned with the November 2024 one. This update includes 9,629 new records, comprising 9,692 new polygons and covering a total of 244 countries and territories. Additionally in November 2024, the total and marine area values at the site level were recalculated to enhance reporting accuracy. This update enabled the reclassification of a small number of marine protected and conserved areas that had previously been reported as terrestrial protected and conserved areas.

A dataset with point data has also been added to the AIP platform. If the boundary data of a protected area is not available, the latitude and longitude of the most centered point of the site are mapped as a reference point for that area. This does not mean that all points in the WDPA represent a central point of a given site. In fact, if a protected area is made of multiple parts, more than one point might be associated with that protected area.

 More info about the data at: https://data.apps.fao.org/?lang=en&share=f-6f631d66-508e-41af-9af9-df5e099db614