WDPCA: Marine and Terrestrial Protected Areas of Iran

Geospatial boundaries and conservation metadata for terrestrial and marine protected areas in Iran are provided by the UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC). The collection integrates the World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA) and Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures (WD-OECM) into a unified repository updated monthly.

Use Cases

• Calculating the percentage of Iranian territory under conservation to track Kunming-Montreal Target 3 progress
• Identifying biodiversity risks within project boundaries for environmental impact assessments using the Integrated Biodiversity Assessment Tool (IBAT)
• Monitoring land-use changes within protected area polygons by overlaying with satellite imagery

Strengths

• Official UN-backed data source from UNEP-WCMC and IUCN
• Monthly update frequency
• Available in four formats including GeoJSON and GeoPackage

Limitations

• Dependent on government reporting accuracy for boundary precision
• Specific attribute schema not detailed in the provided metadata

Provenance

Source

UNEP-WCMC and IUCN

Collection Method

Compiled from government reports and international secretariats

Freshness

Updated monthly

Geography

Iran (Islamic Republic of)