Belize Protected and Conserved Areas: WDPCA Geospatial Boundaries

Marine and terrestrial protected area boundaries for Belize are maintained by the UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) in this monthly-updated dataset. It integrates the World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA) and the World Database on Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures (WD-OECM) to support global biodiversity reporting.

Use Cases

• Calculating the percentage of terrestrial vs. marine territory under protection using geometry fields
• Identifying biodiversity risks for commercial projects by intersecting project boundaries with conservation polygons
• Distinguishing between traditional protected areas and OECMs using the conservation status labels

Strengths

• Monthly update frequency
• Official UN-backed data source
• Available in four formats including GeoJSON and GeoPackage

Limitations

• Geographic scope is restricted to Belize
• Attribute schema is not explicitly defined in the provided metadata

Provenance

Source

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

Collection Method

Compiled from government reports and stakeholder submissions

Freshness

Updated monthly as part of the Protected Planet Initiative.

Geography

Belize