Global Protected Areas Database from World Conservation Monitoring Centre

WCMC's database contains data and location maps for approximately 40,000 protected areas designated for nature conservation worldwide. It was developed over more than 10 years in collaboration with protected areas professionals and international bodies like IUCN, Ramsar, and UNESCO. The referenced data snapshot is from 1990.

Use Cases

• Analyze the global distribution of protected areas using geospatial location maps.
• Study the coverage of international conventions by identifying sites listed under World Heritage, Ramsar, or Biosphere Reserves.
• Assess conservation efforts by categorizing areas based on their designated purpose (e.g., Forest Reserves managed for conservation).
• Support forest resource assessments by integrating data on protected forest reserves.

Strengths

• Contains data on approximately 40,000 protected areas globally.
• Developed over a period of more than 10 years with input from international conservation professionals.
• Includes specific information on about 1000 sites from major international conventions.

Limitations

• The data is temporally stale, with a last updated date of 1990-12-31.
• The exact row count, column schema, and sample data are unavailable for verification.
• Potential geographic or classification biases may exist based on 1990s-era reporting and collaboration.

Provenance

Source

World Conservation Monitoring Centre (WCMC), developed in collaboration with IUCN, Ramsar Convention Bureau, and UNESCO.

Collection Method

Compiled through collaboration with protected areas professionals worldwide and mapped using GIS.

Time Range

Snapshot from 1990.

Freshness

1990-12-31

Geography

Global coverage of protected areas.