What's new in WDPA 2006?
This CD-ROM contains the latest version of the World Database of Protected Areas (WDPA 2006) and has significant improvements in its content quality and accuracy if compared to the previous 2003, 2004 and 2005 versions.
As was done for the last version, the data is presented both as GIS layers that you can explore using a GIS software, and as Excel spreadsheets with a list of protected areas and attributes per region.
Project Files. Project files for different GIS packages have been updated. This version includes project files for ArcExplorer 2, ArcView 3.2, and ArcGIS 9. Users of ArcGIS 8 or other GIS software can import the ArcView 3.2 project file. As in previous versions, the installation files for ArcExplorer 2 are included on the CD-ROM.
New data. The Global database continues to be updated on a daily basis. This version contains many new datasets. For a detailed list of updates per country, please consult the page under Data Contents \ Changes since WDPA 2005. Currently, the WDPA 2006 is the best global database on protected areas. The WDPA is now endorsed as the primary global dataset for conservation and will play a critical role in measuring progress toward globally agreed goals and targets endorsed by the Convention on Biological Diversity.
Marine Protected Areas. A new dataset on Marine Protected Areas has been added. This dataset is a work in progress that was presented at IMPAC 1, the First International Marine Protected Areas Congress, Geelong, Australia, in October 2005. This dataset was developed by Louisa Wood, Sea Around Us Project, UBC Fisheries Centre, Aquatic Ecosystems Research Laboratory at the University of British Columbia, Canada, and in collaboration with UNEP-WCMC and WWF.
Not all data on MPAs available has been included as we are awaiting permission to publish data from some countries. This dataset has a different attribute data structure more appropriate to the nature of marine protected areas. As such it is a separate layer within the database and some of its protected areas might overlap with existing ones in the national protected area layers. For more information on the attribute table structure, please check the following file: Marine.pdf. As this is presented as a separate layer and project, we have included all data and information files on it in the "GIS_Data\Marine_protected_areas" folder on the CD-ROM.
For feedback on this dataset, please contact Louisa Wood at l.wood@fisheries.ubc.ca. Also check the project website at: www.seaaroundus.org or www.mpaglobal.org
Suggested citation for this dataset is:
Wood, L. J. (2005). MPA Global: A database of the world's marine protected areas. Modified version for inclusion on WDPA CD. Sea Around Us Project, UNEP-WCMC & WWF. www.mpaglobal.org
Additional information on this dataset can be found in the folder named "marine_metadata"in the WDPA CD-ROM.
The WDPA is still a work in progress and your active participation in contributing expertise and feedback on this tool would enable us to keep protected areas data current and accurate.