WDPCA: Protected and Conserved Areas in Northern Mariana Islands

The UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) maintains this geospatial dataset of marine and terrestrial protected areas in the Northern Mariana Islands, updated as of March 2026. It integrates the World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA) and the World Database on Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures (WD-OECM) into a single resource. The data supports international reporting for the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and Sustainable Development Goals.

Use Cases

• Mapping marine conservation zones using GEOJSON or GEOPACKAGE spatial boundaries
• Calculating terrestrial protection percentages for Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) reporting
• Assessing biodiversity risk for infrastructure projects by overlaying project sites with protected area polygons

Strengths

• Official UN-backed source for Target 3 reporting
• Monthly update cycle ensures current boundary information
• Available in multiple geospatial formats including GEOPACKAGE and GEOSERVICE

Limitations

• Geographic scope is restricted to the Northern Mariana Islands
• Specific attribute schema and column names are not detailed in the source metadata

Provenance

Source

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

Collection Method

Compiled from government reports and stakeholder data in collaboration with IUCN.

Freshness

Updated on a monthly basis.

Geography

Northern Mariana Islands