The World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA) is the most comprehensive global database on terrestrial and marine protected areas. Version: October 2025.

The World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA) is the most comprehensive global database of marine and terrestrial protected areas, updated on a monthly basis, and is one of the key global biodiversity data sets being widely used by scientists, businesses, governments, International secretariats and others to inform planning, policy decisions and management. The WDPA is a joint project between UN Environment and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The compilation and management of the WDPA is carried out by UN Environment World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC), in collaboration with governments, non-governmental organisations, academia and industry. There are monthly updates of the data which are made available online through the Protected Planet website where the data is both viewable and downloadable. Data and information on the world's protected areas compiled in the WDPA are used for reporting to the Convention on Biological Diversity on progress towards reaching the Aichi Biodiversity Targets (particularly Target 11), to the UN to track progress towards the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, to some of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) core indicators, and other international assessments and reports including the Global Biodiversity Outlook, as well as for the publication of the United Nations List of Protected Areas. Every two years, UNEP-WCMC releases the Protected Planet Report on the status of the world's protected areas and recommendations on how to meet international goals and targets. Many platforms are incorporating the WDPA to provide integrated information to diverse users, including businesses and governments, in a range of sectors including mining, oil and gas, and finance. For example, the WDPA is included in the Integrated Biodiversity Assessment Tool, an innovative decision support tool that gives users easy access to up-to-date information that allows them to identify biodiversity risks and opportunities within a project boundary. The reach of the WDPA is further enhanced in services developed by other parties, such as the Global Forest Watch and the Digital Observatory for Protected Areas, which provide decision makers with access to monitoring and alert systems that allow whole landscapes to be managed better. Together, these applications of the WDPA demonstrate the growing value and significance of the Protected Planet initiative.

The World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA) is the most comprehensive global database of marine and terrestrial protected areas and is one of the key global biodiversity datasets being widely used by scientists, businesses, governments, International secretariats and others to inform planning, policy decisions and management.The WDPA is a joint project between the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The compilation and management of the WDPA is carried out by UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC), in collaboration with governments, non-governmental organisations, academia and industry. There are monthly updates of the data which are made available online through the Protected Planet website where the data is both viewable and downloadable.Data and information on the world's protected areas compiled in the WDPA are used for reporting to the Convention on Biological Diversity on progress towards reaching the Aichi Biodiversity Targets (particularly Target 11), to the UN to track progress towards the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, to some of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) core indicators, and other international assessments and reports including the Global Biodiversity Outlook, as well as for the publication of the United Nations List of Protected Areas. Every two years, UNEP-WCMC releases the Protected Planet Report on the status of the world's protected areas and recommendations on how to meet international goals and targets.Many platforms are incorporating the WDPA to provide integrated information to diverse users, including businesses and governments, in a range of sectors including mining, oil and gas, and finance. For example, the WDPA is included in the Integrated Biodiversity Assessment Tool, an innovative decision support tool that gives users easy access to up-to-date information that allows them to identify biodiversity risks and opportunities within a project boundary.The reach of the WDPA is further enhanced in services developed by other parties, such as theGlobal Forest Watch and the Digital Observatory for Protected Areas, which provide decision makers with access to monitoring and alert systems that allow whole landscapes to be managed better. Together, these applications of the WDPA demonstrate the growing value and significance of the Protected Planet initiative.For more details on the WDPA please read through the WDPA User Manual.

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) - Science Analytics and Synthesis (SAS) - Gap Analysis Project (GAP) manages the Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), an Arc10x geodatabase, that includes a full inventory of areas dedicated to the preservation of biological diversity and to other natural, recreation, historic, and cultural uses, managed for these purposes through legal or other effective means (www.usgs.gov/core-science-systems/science-analytics-and-synthesis/gap/science/protected-areas). The PAD-US is developed in partnership with many organizations, including coordination groups at the [U.S.] Federal level, lead organizations for each State, and a number of national and other non-governmental organizations whose work is closely related to the PAD-US. Learn more about the USGS PAD-US partners program here: www.usgs.gov/core-science-systems/science-analytics-and-synthesis/gap/science/pad-us-data-stewards. The United Nations Environmental Program - World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) tracks global progress toward biodiversity protection targets enacted by the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) through the World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA) and World Database on Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures (WD-OECM) available at: www.protectedplanet.net. See the Aichi Target 11 dashboard (www.protectedplanet.net/en/thematic-areas/global-partnership-on-aichi-target-11) for official protection statistics recognized globally and developed for the CBD, or here for more information and statistics on the United States of America's protected areas: www.protectedplanet.net/country/USA. It is important to note statistics published by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Marine Protected Areas (MPA) Center (www.marineprotectedareas.noaa.gov/dataanalysis/mpainventory/) and the USGS-GAP (www.usgs.gov/core-science-systems/science-analytics-and-synthesis/gap/science/pad-us-statistics-and-reports) differ from statistics published by the UNEP-WCMC as methods to remove overlapping designations differ slightly and U.S. Territories are reported separately by the UNEP-WCMC (e.g. The largest MPA, "Pacific Remote Islands Marine Monument" is attributed to the United States Minor Outlying Islands statistics). At the time of PAD-US 2.1 publication (USGS-GAP, 2020), NOAA reported 26% of U.S. marine waters (including the Great Lakes) as protected in an MPA that meets the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) definition of biodiversity protection (www.iucn.org/theme/protected-areas/about). USGS-GAP plans to publish PAD-US 2.1 Statistics and Reports in the spring of 2021. The relationship between the USGS, the NOAA, and the UNEP-WCMC is as follows: - USGS manages and publishes the full inventory of U.S. marine and terrestrial protected areas data in the PAD-US representing many values, developed in collaboration with a partnership network in the U.S. and; - USGS is the primary source of U.S. marine and terrestrial protected areas data for the WDPA, developed from a subset of the PAD-US in collaboration with the NOAA, other agencies and non-governmental organizations in the U.S., and the UNEP-WCMC and; - UNEP-WCMC is the authoritative source of global protected area statistics from the WDPA and WD-OECM and; - NOAA is the authoritative source of MPA data in the PAD-US and MPA statistics in the U.S. and; - USGS is the authoritative source of PAD-US statistics (including areas primarily managed for biodiversity, multiple uses including natural resource extraction, and public access). The PAD-US 2.1 Combined Marine, Fee, Designation, Easement feature class (GAP Status Code 1 and 2 only) is the source of protected areas data in this WDPA update. Tribal areas and military lands represented in the PAD-US Proclamation feature class as GAP Status Code 4 (no known mandate for biodiversity protection) are not included as spatial data to represent internal protected areas are not available at this time. The USGS submitted more than 42,900 protected areas from PAD-US 2.1, including all 50 U.S. States and 6 U.S. Territories, to the UNEP-WCMC for inclusion in the May 2021 WDPA, available at www.protectedplanet.net. The NOAA is the sole source of MPAs in PAD-US and the National Conservation Easement Database (NCED, www.conservationeasement.us/) is the source of conservation easements. The USGS aggregates authoritative federal lands data directly from managing agencies for PAD-US (www.communities.geoplatform.gov/ngda-govunits/federal-lands-workgroup/), while a network of State data-stewards provide state, local government lands, and some land trust preserves. National nongovernmental organizations contribute spatial data directly (www.usgs.gov/core-science-systems/science-analytics-and-synthesis/gap/science/pad-us-data-stewards). The USGS translates the biodiversity focused subset of PAD-US into the WDPA schema (UNEP-WCMC, 2019) for efficient aggregation by the UNEP-WCMC. The USGS maintains WDPA Site Identifiers (WDPAID, WDPA_PID), a persistent identifier for each protected area, provided by UNEP-WCMC. Agency partners are encouraged to track WDPA Site Identifier values in source datasets to improve the efficiency and accuracy of PAD-US and WDPA updates. The IUCN protected areas in the U.S. are managed by thousands of agencies and organizations across the country and include over 42,900 designated sites such as National Parks, National Wildlife Refuges, National Monuments, Wilderness Areas, some State Parks, State Wildlife Management Areas, Local Nature Preserves, City Natural Areas, The Nature Conservancy and other Land Trust Preserves, and Conservation Easements. The boundaries of these protected places (some overlap) are represented as polygons in the PAD-US, along with informative descriptions such as Unit Name, Manager Name, and Designation Type. As the WDPA is a global dataset, their data standards (UNEP-WCMC 2019) require simplification to reduce the number of records included, focusing on the protected area site name and management authority as described in the Supplemental Information section in this metadata record. Given the numerous organizations involved, sites may be added or removed from the WDPA between PAD-US updates. These differences may reflect actual change in protected area status; however, they also reflect the dynamic nature of spatial data or Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Many agencies and non-governmental organizations are working to improve the accuracy of protected area boundaries, the consistency of attributes, and inventory completeness between PAD-US updates. In addition, USGS continually seeks partners to review and refine the assignment of conservation measures in the PAD-US.

This dataset has been created in 2022 by Cogea for the European Marine Observation and Data Network (EMODnet). It contains coastal and marine protected areas in the European seas for those countries that are not covered by the the EEA's Common Database on Designated Areas (CDDA). This dataset is entirely based on GIS Data from the World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA), the most comprehensive global database of marine and terrestrial protected areas, plus external links and selected tabular data joined by Cogea to the feature attributes, as well as the calculation of marine and coastal location of features. The WDPA is a joint project between UN Environment Programme and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and is managed by UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC), in collaboration with governments, non-governmental organisations, academia and industry. The whole datatset is made available online through Protected Planet at https://www.protectedplanet.net/en, where the data are both viewable and downloadable, while the EMODnet subset of data is available at the EMODnet Human Activities portal. In the webmap the WDPA dataset has been filtered by Cogea to show only (i) predominantly or entirely marine areas (MARINE field value=2), and (ii) areas, which even if not identified as predominantly or entirely marine in the WDPA, intersect the coastline or are within a distance of 1 km from the coastline. In both cases the COAST_MAR field value=1. The coastline dataset is available at https://www.eea.europa.eu/data-and-maps/data/eea-coastline-for-analysis-2 for continental areas, at https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/gisco/geodata/reference-data/administrative-units-statistical-units/countries#countries20 for areas in overseas entities. Countries coverage of GIS vector boundary data is: Algeria, Egypt, Georgia, Israel, Lebanon, Monaco, Morocco, Palestine, Russian Federation, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine and the United Kingdom (including Guernsey, Isle of Man, and Jersey). For further information please visit the Protected Planet website.

The dataset on coastal and marine protected areas in the European seas for those countries or territories that are not covered by the the EEA's Common Database on Designated Areas (CDDA) was created in 2022 by Cogea for the European Marine Observation and Data Network (EMODnet). This dataset is entirely based on GIS vector data from UNEP-WCMC and IUCN 2023, (Protected Planet: The World Database on Protected Areas, WDPA, [Online], September 2023, Cambridge, UK: UNEP-WCMC and IUCN, available at: www.protectedplanet.net), plus additional info and selected tabular data added as feature attributes, as well as the calculation of marine and coastal location of features. It is available for viewing and download on EMODnet web portal (Human Activities, https://emodnet.ec.europa.eu/en/human-activities). The WDPA is the most comprehensive global database of marine and terrestrial protected areas, it is a joint project between UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and it is managed by the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC), in collaboration with governments, non-governmental organisations, academia and industry. In the webmap the dataset has been filtered in order to show only marine and coastal areas. Geographical coverage: Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Denmark (only the Faroe Islands), Dominica, Dominican Republic, Egypt, France (only Guadeloupe, Martinique, Saint Barthélemy, Saint Martin French part), Georgia, Grenada, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Israel, Jamaica, Lebanon, Mexico, Monaco, Morocco, Netherlands (only Aruba, Curaçao, Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba, Sint Maarten Dutch part) Nicaragua, Norway (only Svalbard and Jan Mayen), Palestine, Panama, Russian Federation, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom (including Anguilla, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Guernsey, Isle of Man, Jersey, Montserrat), United States (only Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands and the US Minor Outlying Islands in the Caribbean Sea), Venezuela. Where available each polygon has the following main attributes: country code, territory code, country name, territory name, WDPA ID, name (english and original), designation name (english and original) and type (International, National, Not Applicable, Regional), IUCN category and description (Ia: Strict Nature Reserve; Ib: Wilderness Area; II: National Park; III: Natural Monument or Feature; IV: Habitat/Species Management Area; V: Protected Landscape/ Seascape; VI: Protected area with sustainable use of natural resources; Not applicable; Not assigned; Not reported), marine location (1: predominantly marine; 2: entirely marine), area sqkm (reported, calculated), marine area sqkm (reported, calculated), status (Adopted, Designated, Established, Inscribed, Not Reported, Proposed), government type (Collaborative governance, Federal or national ministry or agency, For-profit organisations, Government-delegated management, Indigenous peoples, Individual landowners, Joint governance, Local communities, Non-profit organisations, Not Reported, Sub-national ministry or agency), ownership type (Communal, For-profit organisations, Individual landowners, Joint ownership, Multiple ownership, Non-profit organisations, Not Reported, State), management authorithy and plan info, marine/coastal location (1). For further information please visit the Protected Planet website. Compared with the previous release, this one includes the updated dataset 'WDPA_Sep2023_Public' published by the WDPA in September 2023 and it includes the marine and coastal protected areas in the Caribbean Sea.

The World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA) is the most comprehensive global database of marine and terrestrial protected areas, updated on a monthly basis, and is one of the key global biodiversity data sets being widely used by scientists, businesses, governments, International secretariats and others to inform planning, policy decisions and management.The WDPA is a joint project between UN Environment and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The compilation and management of the WDPA is carried out by UN Environment World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC), in collaboration with governments, non-governmental organisations, academia and industry. There are monthly updates of the data which are made available online through the Protected Planet website where the data is both viewable and downloadable.Data and information on the world's protected areas compiled in the WDPA are used for reporting to the Convention on Biological Diversity on progress towards reaching the Aichi Biodiversity Targets (particularly Target 11), to the UN to track progress towards the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, to some of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) core indicators, and other international assessments and reports including the Global Biodiversity Outlook, as well as for the publication of the United Nations List of Protected Areas. Every two years, UNEP-WCMC releases the Protected Planet Report on the status of the world's protected areas and recommendations on how to meet international goals and targets.Many platforms are incorporating the WDPA to provide integrated information to diverse users, including businesses and governments, in a range of sectors including mining, oil and gas, and finance. For example, the WDPA is included in the Integrated Biodiversity Assessment Tool, an innovative decision support tool that gives users easy access to up-to-date information that allows them to identify biodiversity risks and opportunities within a project boundary.The reach of the WDPA is further enhanced in services developed by other parties, such as the Global Forest Watch and the Digital Observatory for Protected Areas, which provide decision makers with access to monitoring and alert systems that allow whole landscapes to be managed better. Together, these applications of the WDPA demonstrate the growing value and significance of the Protected Planet initiative.

This protected areas mask is a modified version of the World Database of Protected Areas (WDPA) Annual Release 2007 (web-download version), December 2007.The WDPA is a joint product of UNEP and IUCN, prepared by UNEP-WCMC, supported by IUCN WCPA and working with Governments, the Secretariats of MEAs and collaborating NGOs. The protected areas mask was created from national and international protected areas in the WDPA, excluding historical, archaeological, or cultural sites. The centroids of protected areas without boundary information were buffered according to the size of the protected area, and these buffered points were then merged with the protected areas with boundary information (polygons).

The World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA) is the most comprehensive global database of marine and terrestrial protected areas, updated on a monthly basis, and is one of the key global biodiversity data sets being widely used by scientists, businesses, governments, International secretariats and others to inform planning, policy decisions and management.The WDPA is a joint project between UN Environment and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The compilation and management of the WDPA is carried out by UN Environment World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC), in collaboration with governments, non-governmental organisations, academia and industry. There are monthly updates of the data which are made available online through the Protected Planet website where the data is both viewable and downloadable.Data and information on the world's protected areas compiled in the WDPA are used for reporting to the Convention on Biological Diversity on progress towards reaching the Aichi Biodiversity Targets (particularly Target 11), to the UN to track progress towards the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, to some of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) core indicators, and other international assessments and reports including the Global Biodiversity Outlook, as well as for the publication of the United Nations List of Protected Areas. Every two years, UNEP-WCMC releases the Protected Planet Report on the status of the world's protected areas and recommendations on how to meet international goals and targets.Many platforms are incorporating the WDPA to provide integrated information to diverse users, including businesses and governments, in a range of sectors including mining, oil and gas, and finance. For example, the WDPA is included in the Integrated Biodiversity Assessment Tool, an innovative decision support tool that gives users easy access to up-to-date information that allows them to identify biodiversity risks and opportunities within a project boundary.The reach of the WDPA is further enhanced in services developed by other parties, such as the Global Forest Watch and the Digital Observatory for Protected Areas, which provide decision makers with access to monitoring and alert systems that allow whole landscapes to be managed better. Together, these applications of the WDPA demonstrate the growing value and significance of the Protected Planet initiative.Marine and Coastal Protected Areas query:Any of these expressions must be true:Marine is '1'Marine is '2'

United States US: Terrestrial Protected Areas: % of Total Land Area data was reported at 12.994 % in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 12.970 % for 2016. United States US: Terrestrial Protected Areas: % of Total Land Area data is updated yearly, averaging 12.982 % from Dec 2016 (Median) to 2017, with 2 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 12.994 % in 2017 and a record low of 12.970 % in 2016. United States US: Terrestrial Protected Areas: % of Total Land Area data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s USA – Table US.World Bank: Land Use, Protected Areas and National Wealth. Terrestrial protected areas are totally or partially protected areas of at least 1,000 hectares that are designated by national authorities as scientific reserves with limited public access, national parks, natural monuments, nature reserves or wildlife sanctuaries, protected landscapes, and areas managed mainly for sustainable use. Marine areas, unclassified areas, littoral (intertidal) areas, and sites protected under local or provincial law are excluded.; ; World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA) where the compilation and management is carried out by United Nations Environment World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) in collaboration with governments, non-governmental organizations, academia and industry. The data is available online through the Protected Planet website (https://www.protectedplanet.net/).; Weighted average; Restricted use: Please contact the Protected Planet for third-party use of these data.

The Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US) is a geodatabase, managed by U. S. Geological Survey Gap Analysis Program, that illustrates and describes public land ownership, management and other conservation lands, including voluntarily provided privately protected areas. The geodatabase contains four feature classes such as, ‘Marine Protected Areas (MPA)’ and ‘Easements’ that each contains uniquely associated attributes. These two feature classes are combined with the PAD-US ‘Fee’ feature class to provide a full inventory of protected areas in a common schema (i.e. ‘Combined’ file). Legitimate and other protected area overlaps exist in the full inventory, with Easements loaded on top of Fee and MPAs under both. Parcel data within a protected area are dissolved in this file that powers the PAD-US Viewer. As overlaps exist, GAP creates separate analytical layers to summarize area statistics for "GAP Status Code" and "Owner Name". Contact the PAD-US Coordinator for more information. The lands included in PAD-US are assigned conservation measures that qualify their intent to manage lands for the preservation of biological diversity and to other natural, recreational and cultural uses; managed for these purposes through legal or other effective means. The geodatabase includes: 1) Geographic boundaries of public land ownership and voluntarily provided private conservation lands (e.g., Nature Conservancy Preserves); 2) The combination land owner, land manager, management designation or type, parcel name, GIS Acres and source of geographic information of each mapped land unit 3) GAP Status Code conservation measure of each parcel based on USGS National Gap Analysis Program (GAP) protection level categories which provide a measurement of management intent for long-term biodiversity conservation 4) IUCN category for a protected area's inclusion into UNEP-World Conservation Monitoring Centre's World Database for Protected Areas. IUCN protected areas are defined as, "A clearly defined geographical space, recognized, dedicated and managed, through legal or other effective means, to achieve the long-term conservation of nature with associated ecosystem services and cultural values" and are categorized following a classification scheme available through USGS GAP; 5) World Database of Protected Areas (WDPA) Site Codes linking the multiple parcels of a single protected area in PAD-US and connecting them to the Global Community. The geodatabase contains a Marine Protected Area (MPA) feature class and Easements feature class, each with uniquely associated attribute. These two feature classes are combined with the PAD-US fee feature class with standard PAD-US attributes to provide a full inventory of protected areas in a common schema. As legitimate and other overlaps exist in the combined inventory GAP creates separate analytical layers to obtain area statistics for "GAP Status Code" and "Owner Name".

PAD-US version 1.3 Combined updates include:

1) State, local government and private protected area updates delivered September 2011 from PAD-US State Data Stewards: CO (Colorado State University), FL (Florida Natural Areas Inventory), ID (Idaho Fish and Game), MA (The Commonwealth's Office of Geographic Information Systems, MassGIS), MO (University of Missouri, MoRAP), MT (Montana Natural Heritage Program), NM (Natural Heritage New Mexico), OR (Oregon Natural Heritage Program), VA (Department of Conservation and Recreation, Virginia Natural Heritage Program).

2) Select local government (i.e. county, city) protected areas (3,632) across the country (to complement the current PAD-US inventory) aggregated by the Trust for Public Land (TPL) for their Conservation Almanac that tracks the conservation finance movement across the country.

3) A new “Date of Establishment” field that identifies the year an area was designated or otherwise protected, attributed for 86% of GAP Status Code 1 and 2 protected areas. Additional dates will be provided in future updates.

4) A national wilderness area update from wilderness.net

5) The ‘”Access” field that describes public access to protected areas as defined by data stewards or categorical assignment by Primary Designation Type. . The new “Access Source” field documents local vs. categorical assignments. See the PAD-US Standard Manual for more information: gapanalysis.usgs.gov/padus

6) The transfer of conservation measures (i.e. GAP Status Codes, IUCN Categories) and documentation (i.e. GAP Code Source, GAP Code Date) from PAD-US version 1.2 or categorical assignments (see PAD-US Standard) when not provided by data stewards

7) Integration of non-sensitive National Conservation Easement Database (NCED) easements from August 2011, July 2012 with PAD-US version 1.2 easements. Duplicates were removed, unless 'Stacked' = Y and multiple easements exist.

8) Unique ID's transferred from NCED o

Mexico MX: Terrestrial & Marine Protected Areas: % of Total Territorial Area data was reported at 19.056 % in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 6.752 % for 2016. Mexico MX: Terrestrial & Marine Protected Areas: % of Total Territorial Area data is updated yearly, averaging 12.904 % from Dec 2016 (Median) to 2017, with 2 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 19.056 % in 2017 and a record low of 6.752 % in 2016. Mexico MX: Terrestrial & Marine Protected Areas: % of Total Territorial Area data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Mexico – Table MX.World Bank.WDI: Land Use, Protected Areas and National Wealth. Terrestrial protected areas are totally or partially protected areas of at least 1,000 hectares that are designated by national authorities as scientific reserves with limited public access, national parks, natural monuments, nature reserves or wildlife sanctuaries, protected landscapes, and areas managed mainly for sustainable use. Marine protected areas are areas of intertidal or subtidal terrain--and overlying water and associated flora and fauna and historical and cultural features--that have been reserved by law or other effective means to protect part or all of the enclosed environment. Sites protected under local or provincial law are excluded.; ; World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA) where the compilation and management is carried out by United Nations Environment World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) in collaboration with governments, non-governmental organizations, academia and industry. The data is available online through the Protected Planet website (https://www.protectedplanet.net/).; Weighted average; Restricted use: Please contact the Protected Planet for third-party use of these data.

The data includes the protected areas - national parks, World Heritage Site, reserves in DRC.

The World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA) is a joint project between the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), managed by United Nations Environment Programme's World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC).

Citation: UNEP-WCMC (2016). World Database on Protected Areas https://www.protectedplanet.net/

The Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US) is a geodatabase, managed by USGS GAP, that illustrates and describes public land ownership, management and other conservation lands, including voluntarily provided privately protected areas. The State, Regional and LCC geodatabases contain two feature classes. The PADUS1_3_FeeEasement feature class and the national MPA feature class. Legitimate and other protected area overlaps exist in the full inventory, with Easements loaded on top of Fee. Parcel data within a protected area are dissolved in this file that powers the PAD-US Viewer. As overlaps exist, GAP creates separate analytical layers to summarize area statistics for "GAP Status Code" and "Owner Name". Contact the PAD-US Coordinator for more information. The lands included in PAD-US are assigned conservation measures that qualify their intent to manage lands for the preservation of biological diversity and to other natural, recreational and cultural uses; managed for these purposes through legal or other effective means. The geodatabase includes: 1) Geographic boundaries of public land ownership and voluntarily provided private conservation lands (e.g., Nature Conservancy Preserves); 2) The combination land owner, land manager, management designation or type, parcel name, GIS Acres and source of geographic information of each mapped land unit 3) GAP Status Code conservation measure of each parcel based on USGS National Gap Analysis Program (GAP) protection level categories which provide a measurement of management intent for long-term biodiversity conservation 4) IUCN category for a protected area's inclusion into UNEP-World Conservation Monitoring Centre's World Database for Protected Areas. IUCN protected areas are defined as, "A clearly defined geographical space, recognized, dedicated and managed, through legal or other effective means, to achieve the long-term conservation of nature with associated ecosystem services and cultural values" and are categorized following a classification scheme available through USGS GAP; 5) World Database of Protected Areas (WDPA) Site Codes linking the multiple parcels of a single protected area in PAD-US and connecting them to the Global Community. As legitimate and other overlaps exist in the combined inventory GAP creates separate analytical layers to obtain area statistics for "GAP Status Code" and "Owner Name". PAD-US version 1.3 Combined updates include: 1) State, local government and private protected area updates delivered September 2011 from PAD-US State Data Stewards: CO (Colorado State University), FL (Florida Natural Areas Inventory), ID (Idaho Fish and Game), MA (The Commonwealth's Office of Geographic Information Systems, MassGIS), MO (University of Missouri, MoRAP), MT (Montana Natural Heritage Program), NM (Natural Heritage New Mexico), OR (Oregon Natural Heritage Program), VA (Department of Conservation and Recreation, Virginia Natural Heritage Program). 2) Select local government (i.e. county, city) protected areas (3,632) across the country (to complement the current PAD-US inventory) aggregated by the Trust for Public Land (TPL) for their Conservation Almanac that tracks the conservation finance movement across the country. 3) A new Date of Establishment field that identifies the year an area was designated or otherwise protected, attributed for 86% of GAP Status Code 1 and 2 protected areas. Additional dates will be provided in future updates. 4) A national wilderness area update from wilderness.net 5) The Access field that describes public access to protected areas as defined by data stewards or categorical assignment by Primary Designation Type. . The new Access Source field documents local vs. categorical assignments. See the PAD-US Standard Manual for more information: gapanalysis.usgs.gov/padus 6) The transfer of conservation measures (i.e. GAP Status Codes, IUCN Categories) and documentation (i.e. GAP Code Source, GAP Code Date) from PAD-US version 1.2 or categorical assignments (see PAD-US Standard) when not provided by data stewards 7) Integration of non-sensitive National Conservation Easement Database (NCED) easements from August 2011, July 2012 with PAD-US version 1.2 easements. Duplicates were removed, unless 'Stacked' = Y and multiple easements exist. 8) Unique ID's transferred from NCED or requested for new easements. NCED and PAD-US are linked via Source UID in the PAD-US version 1.3 Easement feature class. 9) Official (member and eligible) MPAs from the NOAA MPA Inventory (March 2011, www.mpa.gov) translated into the PAD-US schema with conservation measures transferred from PAD-US version 1.2 or categorically assigned to new protected areas. Contact the PAD-US Coordinator for documentation of categorical GAP Status Code assignments for MPAs. 10) Identified MPA records that overlap existing protected areas in the PAD-US Fee feature class (i.e. PADUS Overlap field in MPA feature class). For example, many National Wildlife Refuges and National Parks are also MPAs and are represented in the PAD-US MPA and Fee feature classes.

Italy IT: Terrestrial & Marine Protected Areas: % of Total Territorial Area data was reported at 13.365 % in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 13.346 % for 2016. Italy IT: Terrestrial & Marine Protected Areas: % of Total Territorial Area data is updated yearly, averaging 13.356 % from Dec 2016 (Median) to 2017, with 2 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 13.365 % in 2017 and a record low of 13.346 % in 2016. Italy IT: Terrestrial & Marine Protected Areas: % of Total Territorial Area data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Italy – Table IT.World Bank.WDI: Land Use, Protected Areas and National Wealth. Terrestrial protected areas are totally or partially protected areas of at least 1,000 hectares that are designated by national authorities as scientific reserves with limited public access, national parks, natural monuments, nature reserves or wildlife sanctuaries, protected landscapes, and areas managed mainly for sustainable use. Marine protected areas are areas of intertidal or subtidal terrain--and overlying water and associated flora and fauna and historical and cultural features--that have been reserved by law or other effective means to protect part or all of the enclosed environment. Sites protected under local or provincial law are excluded.; ; World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA) where the compilation and management is carried out by United Nations Environment World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) in collaboration with governments, non-governmental organizations, academia and industry. The data is available online through the Protected Planet website (https://www.protectedplanet.net/).; Weighted average; Restricted use: Please contact the Protected Planet for third-party use of these data.

Peru PE: Terrestrial & Marine Protected Areas: % of Total Territorial Area data was reported at 13.141 % in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 13.114 % for 2016. Peru PE: Terrestrial & Marine Protected Areas: % of Total Territorial Area data is updated yearly, averaging 13.127 % from Dec 2016 (Median) to 2017, with 2 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 13.141 % in 2017 and a record low of 13.114 % in 2016. Peru PE: Terrestrial & Marine Protected Areas: % of Total Territorial Area data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Peru – Table PE.World Bank.WDI: Land Use, Protected Areas and National Wealth. Terrestrial protected areas are totally or partially protected areas of at least 1,000 hectares that are designated by national authorities as scientific reserves with limited public access, national parks, natural monuments, nature reserves or wildlife sanctuaries, protected landscapes, and areas managed mainly for sustainable use. Marine protected areas are areas of intertidal or subtidal terrain--and overlying water and associated flora and fauna and historical and cultural features--that have been reserved by law or other effective means to protect part or all of the enclosed environment. Sites protected under local or provincial law are excluded.; ; World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA) where the compilation and management is carried out by United Nations Environment World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) in collaboration with governments, non-governmental organizations, academia and industry. The data is available online through the Protected Planet website (https://www.protectedplanet.net/).; Weighted average; Restricted use: Please contact the Protected Planet for third-party use of these data.

The Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US) is a geodatabase that illustrates and describes public land ownership, management and conservation lands nationally, including voluntarily provided privately protected areas. The lands included in PAD-US are assigned conservation measures that qualify their intent to manage lands for the preservation of biological diversity and to other natural, recreational and cultural uses; managed for these purposes through legal or other effective means. The geodatabase includes: 1) Geographic boundaries of public land ownership and voluntarily provided private conservation lands (e.g., Nature Conservancy Preserves); 2) The combination land owner, land manager, management designation or type, parcel name, GIS Acres and source of geographic information of each mapped land unit 3) GAP Status Code conservation measure of each parcel based on USGS National Gap Analysis Program (GAP) protection level categories which provide a measurement of management intent for long-term biodiversity conservation 4) IUCN category for a protected areas inclusion into UNEP-World Conservation Monitoring Centres World Database for Protected Areas. IUCN protected areas are defined as, A clearly defined geographical space, recognized, dedicated and managed, through legal or other effective means, to achieve the long-term conservation of nature with associated ecosystem services and cultural values and are categorized following a classification scheme available through USGS GAP; 5) World Database of Protected Areas (WDPA) Site Codes linking the multiple parcels of a single protected area in PAD-US and connecting them to the Global Community. PAD-US version 1.2 updates include: 1) National Park Service (NPS) boundaries and GAP Status Code review in cooperation with NPScape and NPS Lands. 2) Department of Defense (DOD) boundaries in cooperation with DOD Partners in Flight 3) Official (member and eligible only) Marine Protected Areas as aggregated and accepted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). 4)The Bureau of Land Managements (BLM) National Landscape Conservation System (NLCS) authoritative boundaries in cooperation with NLCS policy representitives and the Lands Division. Note: NLCS National Trails and Wild and Scenic Rivers were not updated as they are managed as Line files; however, PADUS already contained many of these protected areas. 5) Modified or newly created Wilderness Area boundaries created by The Omnibus Public Lands Act of 2009 in cooperation with Wilderness.net. 6) Protected areas in The US Virgin Islands 7) Protected areas in the Pacific Islands (Micronesia) 8) Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife protected areas

The dataset on Common Database on Designated Areas (CDDA) was created in 2014 by Cogea for the European Marine Observation and Data Network. This dataset is entirely based on GIS Data from the European Environmental Agency (EEA), plus additional info and selected EEA tabular data added as feature attributes, as well as the Cogea's calulation of marine and coastal location of features. It is available for viewing and download on EMODnet web portal (Human Activities, https://emodnet.ec.europa.eu/en/human-activities). The CDDA is commonly known as 'Nationally designated areas' and it is the official source of protected areas information from the 38 European countries, members of the Eionet, to the World Database of Protected Areas (WDPA). The data are delivered by the Eionet partnership countries as spatial and tabular information. The inventory began in 1995 under the CORINE programme of the European Commission. It is now one of the agreed Eionet priority data flows maintained by EEA with support from the European Topic Centre on Biological Diversity. The dataset is used by the EEA and e.g. the UNEP-WCMC for their main European and global assessments, products and services. Geographical coverage: Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Kosovo (under UNSC Resolution 1244/99), Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Montenegro, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. EEA does not have permission to distribute some or all sites reported by Estonia, Ireland and Turkey. In the webmap the dataset has been filtered in order to show only marine and coastal areas. Where available each polygon has the following main attributes: CDDA ID, country code, country name, site name, legal foundation date, national ID, area type/code (Designated Boundary or Site), IUCN category/description (Ia: Strict Nature Reserve; Ib: Wilderness Area; II: National Park; III: Natural Monument or Feature; IV: Habitat/Species Management Area; V: Protected Landscape/ Seascape; VI: Protected area with sustainable use of natural resources; Not applicable; Not assigned; Not reported), area (ha), major ecosystem type (Marine, Marine and terrestrial, Terrestrial), marine area percentage, spatial resolution (Scale 100K-250K, Scale Larger 100K, Unknown), remarks, marine/coastal location (1). For further information please visit the EEA's website. Compared with the previous release, this one includes the updated dataset 'CDDA_2023_v01_public' published by the EEA in June 2023.

Palau PW: Terrestrial & Marine Protected Areas: % of Total Territorial Area data was reported at 82.942 % in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 82.940 % for 2016. Palau PW: Terrestrial & Marine Protected Areas: % of Total Territorial Area data is updated yearly, averaging 82.941 % from Dec 2016 (Median) to 2017, with 2 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 82.942 % in 2017 and a record low of 82.940 % in 2016. Palau PW: Terrestrial & Marine Protected Areas: % of Total Territorial Area data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Palau – Table PW.World Bank: Land Use, Protected Areas and National Wealth. Terrestrial protected areas are totally or partially protected areas of at least 1,000 hectares that are designated by national authorities as scientific reserves with limited public access, national parks, natural monuments, nature reserves or wildlife sanctuaries, protected landscapes, and areas managed mainly for sustainable use. Marine protected areas are areas of intertidal or subtidal terrain--and overlying water and associated flora and fauna and historical and cultural features--that have been reserved by law or other effective means to protect part or all of the enclosed environment. Sites protected under local or provincial law are excluded.; ; World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA) where the compilation and management is carried out by United Nations Environment World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) in collaboration with governments, non-governmental organizations, academia and industry. The data is available online through the Protected Planet website (https://www.protectedplanet.net/).; Weighted average; Restricted use: Please contact the Protected Planet for third-party use of these data.

United States US: Marine Protected Areas: % of Total Surface Area data was reported at 41.057 % in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 41.083 % for 2016. United States US: Marine Protected Areas: % of Total Surface Area data is updated yearly, averaging 41.070 % from Dec 2016 (Median) to 2017, with 2 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 41.083 % in 2016 and a record low of 41.057 % in 2017. United States US: Marine Protected Areas: % of Total Surface Area data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s USA – Table US.World Bank: Land Use, Protected Areas and National Wealth. Marine protected areas are areas of intertidal or subtidal terrain--and overlying water and associated flora and fauna and historical and cultural features--that have been reserved by law or other effective means to protect part or all of the enclosed environment.; ; World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA) where the compilation and management is carried out by United Nations Environment World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) in collaboration with governments, non-governmental organizations, academia and industry. The data is available online through the Protected Planet website (https://www.protectedplanet.net/).; Weighted average; Restricted use: Please contact the Protected Planet for third-party use of these data.