Latvia Protected and Conserved Areas: Official WDPCA Geospatial Data

Latvia's marine and terrestrial protected areas and Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures (OECMs) are mapped in this geospatial collection. Managed by the UNEP-WCMC and IUCN, the data is updated monthly and serves as the official record for international biodiversity reporting as of March 2026.

Use Cases

• Spatial analysis of marine and terrestrial boundaries to calculate the percentage of Latvian territory under protection
• Environmental risk screening for infrastructure projects by overlaying project coordinates with protected area polygons
• Biodiversity policy monitoring using OECM designations to track the implementation of non-traditional conservation measures

Strengths

• Official data source for UN Sustainable Development Goal tracking
• Monthly update cycle provides high temporal accuracy
• Available in four interoperable formats including GeoJSON and GeoPackage

Limitations

• Specific attribute schema and record counts are not detailed in the source metadata
• Geographic scope is restricted to the boundaries of Latvia

Provenance

Source

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

Collection Method

Compiled from government reports and stakeholder submissions

Freshness

Updated on a monthly basis.

Geography

Latvia