WDPCA: Bulgaria Protected and Conserved Areas Geospatial Data

Bulgaria's marine and terrestrial protected areas and Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures (OECMs) are documented in this geospatial dataset. Managed by the UNEP-WCMC as part of the Protected Planet Initiative, the records are updated monthly to facilitate international biodiversity reporting and policy planning.

Use Cases

• Calculating the percentage of Bulgarian land and sea under conservation for Target 3 reporting
• Identifying overlaps between industrial project boundaries and marine protected area polygons
• Analyzing the distribution of Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures (OECMs) across Bulgarian regions

Strengths

• Monthly update cycle ensures current status of conservation areas
• Standardized by UNEP-WCMC and IUCN for international comparability
• Available in four GIS-ready formats including GEOPACKAGE and GEOJSON

Limitations

• Attribute schema is not explicitly defined in the provided metadata
• Dependent on national government reporting timelines which may cause lags in data reflection

Provenance

Source

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

Collection Method

Compiled from government reports and stakeholder submissions in collaboration with IUCN.

Freshness

Updated on a monthly basis.

Geography

Bulgaria