WDPCA: Protected and Conserved Areas in French Guiana

UNEP-WCMC and IUCN provide this geospatial dataset of marine and terrestrial protected areas in French Guiana, updated as of March 2026. It integrates the World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA) and Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures (WD-OECM) to track biodiversity conservation progress. The data is managed by the UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre in collaboration with international stakeholders.

Use Cases

• Spatial analysis of marine and terrestrial protected areas to inform regional environmental planning
• Reporting on progress toward Target 3 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework using conserved area boundaries
• Identifying biodiversity risks within project boundaries for commercial environmental impact assessments

Strengths

• Official joint product of the UN Environment Programme and IUCN
• Updated on a monthly basis to reflect current conservation status
• Provided in four formats including GeoJSON, GeoPackage, and CSV

Limitations

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

Provenance

Source

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

Collection Method

Compiled from government and stakeholder reports as part of the Protected Planet Initiative

Freshness

Updated on a monthly basis.

Geography

French Guiana