WDPCA: Protected and Conserved Areas in Christmas Island

This geospatial dataset maps marine and terrestrial protected areas and Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures (OECMs) within Christmas Island. Maintained by the UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) and IUCN, the data is updated monthly to support global biodiversity reporting. It serves as the primary record for tracking progress toward the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework's 30% conservation target.

Use Cases

• Spatial analysis of marine and terrestrial conservation coverage to track progress toward the 30x30 biodiversity target
• Environmental risk assessment for project planning using protected area boundaries
• Integration into biodiversity monitoring tools like the UN Biodiversity Lab or Global Forest Watch

Strengths

• Official UN-backed data source for Target 3 biodiversity reporting
• Combines both WDPA and WD-OECM frameworks into a single source
• Available in four GIS-ready formats including GeoJSON and GeoPackage

Limitations

• Specific record count for the Christmas Island subset is not provided
• Attribute schema and column names are not explicitly detailed 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; last recorded update March 2026.

Geography

Christmas Island