Norway Protected and Conserved Areas: Unified WDPA and WD-OECM Geodata

Geospatial records of marine and terrestrial protected areas in Norway, compiled by the UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC). The dataset integrates the World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA) and the World Database on Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures (WD-OECM) with updates as recent as March 2026.

Use Cases

• Spatial analysis of marine and terrestrial conservation coverage to measure progress toward Kunming-Montreal Target 3
• Environmental risk assessment by intersecting project coordinates with protected area geometries
• Integration with monitoring tools like Global Forest Watch to track land-use changes within designated boundaries

Strengths

• Consolidates WDPA and WD-OECM into a single unified dataset
• Available in four formats including GeoJSON, GeoPackage, and GeoService
• Official data source for UN Sustainable Development Goal tracking

Limitations

• Specific attribute field names and record counts are not listed in the source metadata
• Relies on reporting accuracy from national and local government stakeholders

Provenance

Source

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

Collection Method

Compiled from government reports and stakeholder data

Freshness

Updated on a monthly basis

Geography

Norway