Angola Protected and Conserved Areas: WDPCA Geospatial Boundaries

Geospatial boundaries and metadata for marine and terrestrial protected areas in Angola are provided through this joint UNEP-WCMC and IUCN initiative. Updated monthly, the records include both traditional protected areas and Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures (OECMs) as of March 2026. It serves as the primary evidence base for tracking Target 3 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

Use Cases

• Calculating the percentage of terrestrial and marine territory under protection using spatial polygons
• Identifying biodiversity risks for commercial projects by overlaying project coordinates with WDPCA boundaries
• Tracking Angola's progress toward Sustainable Development Goal indicators using the WD-OECM classification

Strengths

• Official source for UN Sustainable Development Goal tracking
• Monthly update frequency ensures current status of conservation zones
• Consolidates both WDPA and WD-OECM data into a single resource

Limitations

• Spatial accuracy depends on the precision of data submitted by national authorities
• Attribute schema details are not explicitly listed in the source metadata

Provenance

Source

UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) and IUCN

Collection Method

Compiled from government reports and stakeholder submissions through the Protected Planet Initiative

Freshness

Updated on a monthly basis; current version dated March 2026.

Geography

Angola