WDPCA: Protected and Conserved Areas of Heard Island and McDonald Islands

This geospatial dataset documents marine and terrestrial protected areas and conservation measures for Heard Island and McDonald Islands. Managed by the UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) and IUCN, it integrates the World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA) and the World Database on Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures (WD-OECM). The data is updated on a monthly basis to support international biodiversity reporting.

Use Cases

• Spatial analysis of marine conservation boundaries using GEOPACKAGE files
• Reporting on progress toward Target 3 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework
• Identifying biodiversity risks within project boundaries for environmental impact assessments

Strengths

• Official UN-backed data source for Sustainable Development Goal tracking
• Available in four GIS-compatible formats including GEOJSON and GEOPACKAGE
• Monthly update cycle ensures high temporal relevance

Limitations

• Geographic scope is limited to a specific remote island territory
• Specific column headers and attribute schemas are not provided in the summary

Provenance

Source

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

Collection Method

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

Freshness

Updated on a monthly basis; last recorded update was March 2026.

Geography

Heard Island and McDonald Islands