Protectedplanet.net is the new face of the World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA), a joint initiative of IUCN and UNEP’s World Conservation Monitoring Centre.
Its humble beginnings started 30 years ago as a basic global list of national parks and has evolved into the only global, spatially referenced information source on parks and protected areas. Protectedplanet.net not only showcases this wealth of information but also give tools to willing ‘citizen scientists’ who can feed their knowledge about protected areas into the WDPA.
The World Database is supported by members of IUCN’s World Commission on Protected Areas members all over the world. Contributions and updates come from both government and non-government organisations.
Who uses the World Database on Protected Areas?
The World Database on Protected Areas provides information on the coverage and distribution of protected areas. These are two key indicators for global policy and decision making.
The protected area coverage indicator measures policy response to biodiversity loss. An increase in protected area coverage indicates increased efforts by governments and civil society to protect land and sea areas with a view to achieving the long-term conservation of biodiversity with associated ecosystem services and cultural values.
