Threatened Mammal and Amphibian Density Near the West African Coast

NASA SEDAC data from the 2015 release provides a one-kilometer resolution grid of threatened mammal and amphibian species density within 200 kilometers of the West African coast. The dataset is derived from IUCN Red List vector data, focusing on species classified as vulnerable, endangered, or critically endangered. It was created to support coastal vulnerability mapping in the region.

Use Cases

• Coastal vulnerability assessment based on threatened species density
• Identifying biodiversity hotspots for conservation prioritization
• Modeling human-wildlife conflict risk near coastal settlements
• Analyzing spatial overlap between threatened species and coastal development

Strengths

• Derived from authoritative IUCN Red List species distribution data
• Provides a standardized one-kilometer resolution grid for spatial analysis
• Focuses specifically on threatened species (vulnerable, endangered, critically endangered)

Limitations

• Metadata conflicts exist: last update dates differ significantly (2013 vs. 2026)
• No column names, file formats, or row/size information are provided
• The dataset is a subset from a 2015 release, which may not reflect current species status

Provenance

Source

NASA Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center (SEDAC), derived from International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List data.

Collection Method

Extracted and gridded from IUCN vector data files.

Time Range

2015 release.

Freshness

Data is from a 2015 release; platform metadata shows conflicting last update dates of 2013-12-31 and 2026-03-13.

Geography

West African coast, within 200 kilometers of the coastline.