WDPCA: Cameroon Protected and Conserved Areas Geospatial Data

Geospatial boundaries and metadata for marine and terrestrial protected areas in Cameroon are provided in this dataset managed by UNEP-WCMC and IUCN. Updated monthly, the data tracks both formal protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures (OECMs) to inform global biodiversity policy and planning.

Use Cases

• Calculating national conservation coverage by analyzing the geometry of terrestrial and marine polygons
• Identifying biodiversity risks for infrastructure projects by overlaying site boundaries with proposed development zones
• Distinguishing between formal protected areas and OECMs using designation type labels

Strengths

• Official source for Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework Target 3 reporting
• Includes both marine and terrestrial conservation zones
• Available in four formats including GeoJSON, GeoPackage, and CSV

Limitations

• Relies on government reporting cycles which may cause lags in reflecting new local designations
• Attribute definitions for specific columns are not detailed in the primary metadata

Provenance

Source

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

Collection Method

Compiled from government reports and stakeholder submissions

Freshness

Updated on a monthly basis.

Geography

Cameroon