WDPCA: Protected and Conserved Areas in Turks and Caicos Islands

This geospatial dataset provides boundaries and metadata for marine and terrestrial protected areas and Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures (OECMs) in the Turks and Caicos Islands. Maintained by the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) in collaboration with the IUCN, the data was last updated in March 2026. It serves as the primary source for tracking progress toward the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework Target 3.

Use Cases

• Calculating the percentage of terrestrial and marine territory under conservation to report on Kunming-Montreal Target 3
• Identifying biodiversity risks within project boundaries for environmental impact assessments using geospatial polygon data
• Tracking core indicators for the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES)

Strengths

• Official UN-backed data source managed by UNEP-WCMC and IUCN
• Available in four formats including GEOJSON, GEOPACKAGE, CSV, and GEOSERVICE
• Standardized reporting format used for international biodiversity assessments

Limitations

• Geographic scope is limited strictly to the Turks and Caicos Islands
• Data accuracy depends on the reporting frequency and quality of local government stakeholders
• Potential lag between national designation changes and updates in the global database

Provenance

Source

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

Collection Method

Compiled from government reports and stakeholder submissions to the Protected Planet Initiative

Freshness

Updated on a monthly basis according to the WDPCA maintenance schedule.

Geography

Turks and Caicos Islands