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2009 World Database on Protected Areas Annual Release

Downloading the WDPA Annual Release

In order to download the WDPA Annual Release you need to register with the WDPA. Please click here to go to the registration page. If already a registered WDPA User, please log in.

Why is there an Annual Release of the WDPA Dataset?

The WDPA is a work in progress, continually being updated once new information becomes available. Each year UNEP-WCMC, under the principles of the Conservation Commons2, prepares and releases a global GIS3 dataset of protected areas. This static version contains all data improvements made to the WDPA (up to and including February 2009) since the previous annual release in December 2007.

The annual release serves the global conservation community by providing a standard dataset of our current knowledge of protected areas globally. This dataset acts as a resource for NGOs, researchers, universities and government agencies through supporting and strengthening conservation studies, research and decision making. It is also widely utilised by the private sector. In order to download the WDPA, you need to be a registered user (registration is free). Downloads of the WDPA and the Annual Release 2009 is primarily for non-commercial users; however commercial users may contact UNEP-WCMC directly via wdpacommercial@unep-wcmc.org to discuss access. Commercial requests for this data will not be unreasonably withheld.

What is in the WDPA Annual Release?

The Annual Release includes all nationally designated (e.g. National Parks, Nature Reserves) and internationally recognized protected areas (e.g. UNESCO World Heritage Sites, Ramsar Wetlands of International Importance) currently held in the WDPA, up to end of February 2009. This static version incorporates all data improvements made to the WDPA since the previous annual release in December 2007.

The annual release dataset is distributed in a GIS file format known as shapefiles (.shp) and GIS capable software is therefore required to view these files. For registered WDPA users without specialised knowledge of GIS or the use of GIS-capable software, data can also be accessed as .kml files, viewable with Google Earth by using the search engine at www.wdpa.org. However downloads are limited to per country level.

In those cases where a protected area boundary has not been mapped (delineated), or the boundary files are unavailable, centre point (geographic) locations are used in the WDPA. Therefore this release will contain both polygon (boundary) and point (geographic location) shapefiles representing the available information. Accompanying (and contained within) the shapefiles is an attribute table that contains key fields of information about the protected areas stored in the WDPA.
To view the list of attributes and a description of them please click here.
Registered users will be able to download the following
1. Global dataset (national and international protected areas) as a single polygon and point shapefile.

2. Subsets of the global dataset. Due to the size of this dataset and recognizing that not all users will require the whole dataset, the following subsets are available:
  1. All Nationally designated protected areas only (polygon and points)
  2. All Internationally recognized areas only (polygon and points)
  3. All marine protected areas only (polygons and points)


    4. National Protected Areas only:
  4. IUCN Category Ia – VI only (polygon and points)
  5. IUCN Category unknown (polygon and points)
  6. Proposed and Recommended protected areas only (polygon and points)


    7. International Areas only:
  7. UNESCO World Heritage Sites, Man and Biosphere and Ramsar Wetlands of International Importance only (polygon and points)
  8. All other international conventions e.g. Barcelona Convention (polygon and points)

With every shapefile there is a separate table (.dbf) that contains source information (metadata) for every site as well as the 2009 WDPA Annual Release Attribute Data Structure document. All shapefiles use the WGS84 (Geographic) projection. Also, there are overlaps in sites between subset datasets, so depending on your interest you may not need to download all the available datasets.

Where publishing or licensing restrictions exist, it is not always possible for the WDPA to include or distribute data for certain countries.

What have been the major changes since the 2007 WDPA Annual Release?

Throughout 2008, the extensive redevelopment of the WDPA into a web enabled spatial database platform was ongoing, culminating in the launch of v1.0 of the WDPA portal at the IUCN World Conservation Congress in October 2008. The redevelopment also resulted in changes to the existing data structure and the addition of new attributes (such as those specific to marine protected areas).

During this period, data improvement work was ongoing as well as transfer of legacy data from the old system into the new WDPA. By February 2009, 100% of all legacy data has been transferred and internal data validation processes (geography, geometry, topology and attributes) had been performed. From March 2009 work will continue on the crosschecking of results of the internal data validation processes and making corrections where possible.

    Since the last annual release (December 2007):
  • Major update of spatial and attribute data: USA, Australia, Tanzania, Uganda, Republic of Congo, Congo (DRC), Papua New Guinea, Cameroon, Madagascar and Bhutan.
  • Major attribute updates: Republic of Korea, Senegal, Cameroon, Macedonia (FYROM), Serbia, Seychelles, Hungary, Mexico, Argentina, Nigeria and Cape Verde.
  • The global spatial marine protected areas (MPA Global) database was fully integrated.
  • Removal of the following international conventions due to incomplete data coverage, poor and out of date content: Barcelona Convention4, Council of Europe Biogenetic Reserves, Helsinki Convention, European Diploma sites.
  • UNESCO Cultural World Heritage Sites have been removed as they do not conform to the IUCN definition of a protected area.

    • A number of other countries underwent minor data improvements.
    From March 2009, we will continue work on:
  • Crosschecking of results from internal data validation processes.
  • WDPA portal (website) functionality.
  • WDPA user documentation (technical/non-technical).
  • Processing and review of the following datasets: European Common Database on Designated Areas (42 countries/territories), Bolivia, Columbia, Dominica, Ecuador, Namibia, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Botswana, Guinea, Liberia, Lebanon, Malawi, St Kitts, Spain, Ghana, Tanzania.

4Specially Protected Areas of Mediterranean Importance (SPAMI) under the Barcelona Convention have been maintained and updated.
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