Morocco Protected and Conserved Areas: WDPCA Geospatial Inventory

Giving access to geospatial boundaries and metadata for marine and terrestrial protected areas and conservation measures in Morocco. Managed by UNEP-WCMC and IUCN, the records are updated monthly to support international reporting for the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. It integrates the World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA) and the World Database on Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures (WD-OECM).

Use Cases

• Calculating the total percentage of conserved Moroccan territory for Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework Target 3 reporting
• Intersecting project boundaries with GEOPACKAGE polygons to identify biodiversity risks for commercial planning
• Visualizing marine vs. terrestrial conservation zones using GEOJSON geometries for environmental impact assessments

Strengths

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

Limitations

• Specific attribute schema and column names are not detailed in the provided metadata
• Data accuracy depends on reporting from national governments and stakeholders, which may vary in spatial precision

Provenance

Source

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

Collection Method

Compiled from government reports and stakeholder contributions through the Protected Planet Initiative

Freshness

Updated on a monthly basis; current version reflects data as of March 2026.

Geography

Morocco