About WDPA
The 2004 version of the World Database of Protected Areas is the result of a broad alliance of organizations that have contributed data and effort in compiling; reviewing and integrating the World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA) from multiple sources. This effort has engaged a large number of organizations and individuals but the results are promising: the WDPA 2004 is currently the best global database on protected areas. We hope this broad effort will improve analysis and decision processes at many levels and scales and advance the global agenda for conservation of biodiversity.
Nevertheless, we also are aware of the current limitations of this dataset. This is a work in progress and it still requires further attention, resources and expertise. These limitations can be linked to data gaps, inaccuracies either of the geographic or attribute data, access to this database, and limitations in being able to track a larger body of information and knowledge concerning protected areas.
Data gaps are the result of an uneven coverage of data across the world. One important gap is the lack of geographic data (polygon data) for many protected areas. In many cases this is the result of limitations in distributing some existing datasets because of conditions expressed by their owners or custodians. In some other cases, there is no GIS data available locally or its resolution is coarse.
Errors in the attribute data are also the result of evolving data over time that has not been updated or of differences concerning these data following different sources.
Inaccuracies on the geographic data are significant and they are noticeable in this version. They are the result of differences in the source documents, the use of conflicting base maps, or the result of mixing data digitized at very different scales
Access to this database has been limited up to now. We hope that this CD-ROM product will help solve this problem, and that we can improve access to this database over the Internet.
Finally, the World Park Congress in 2003 will provide us with an important opportunity to discuss and agree on the best ways to lead this effort in order to better address the growing and urgent needs of biodiversity conservation.