Data Contents
WDPA 2005 contains a special version of the World Database on Protected Areas. This version is a snapshot of the central database maintained at UNEP - World Conservation monitoring Center that has been modified for facilitating its use with the tools provided or with general purposes GIS systems. With the exception of one protected area layer (see "WDPA Data Layers section and note on the regional polygon dataset) all information in the central database can be found in this CD-ROM. The changes to the data structure (explained in the section on Metadata and Data Preparation) have for objective to optimize the database space requirements and to ease access to all the data available for each protected area.
The contents of each of the layers as well as the structure of each table and field definitions are presented in the WDPA Data Layers section. A detailed list of updates performed on the database since WDPA 2004 can be found in the "Changes..." section. Finally, as there is frequent mention and use of the IUCN Protected Areas categories and of the WCPA Regions as defined by the World Commission on Protected Areas, we have devoted 2 sections for this information.
About data quality
This version of the database represents a substantial advance over prior versions: there have been improvements in both data quality and completeness. The database has been cleaned to avoid duplication of records and a substantial number of new records has been integrated. Nevertheless, we also are aware of the current limitations of this dataset. 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. This is a work in progress and it still requires further attention, resources and expertise.
Data gaps are the result of an un-even coverage of data across the world. We are still missing data from some countries but we have seen a marked interest for national agencies and organizations to participate in this effort and contribute new datasets.
Data completeness is the result of data records with missing fields or types of data. One important case is the lack of boundary data (polygons) for many protected areas. 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 among data sources.
Geographic inaccuracies are also important. These 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. These can only be solved with better and newer data sources.
Other errors can be attributable to operator errors: misspelling of names, inaccurate numbers, etc. Finally, the database presents some limitations for analyses because of the way the data are collected and kept. For example, many coastal protected areas include in their area estimates both a marine and a terrestrial portion but the present database is incapable in tracking these 2 different areas. These last kinds of problems can only be addressed by a better database structure, challenge we hope to solve by the next version of WDPA.
We have made our best effort to address these issues: this is the best global database of protected areas although it might not yet be as good as we would like it to be. Please help improve it: check the feedback section and provide your help and expertise.