Private Protected Areas and the World
Database on Protected Areas (WDPA)Dr Naomi Kingston
Head of Protected Areas Programme

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Database on Protected AreasHistory
1962

2003

UN List of National Parks
and Equivalent Reserves

UN List Mandate Renewed
and updated to include WDPA

1981
Protected Areas Data Unit
(PADU) established2010
ProtectedPlanet.net
Online data portal for WDPA

1959
27th Session of the UN
Economic and SocialCouncil

1975

1994

2008

IUCN Categories systembegan to be developedSix IUCN Categories
publishedRevised IUCN
categories published

2014
World Parks Congress, Sydney?

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14.6% land; 2.8% marine

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Challenges
Reporting is voluntary• Mandated by CBD• Inconsistent interpretation of definitions• Under-reporting in the marine

Quality Assessment checks consistency• How complete/comprehensive/accurate/recent?
• Duplicates in the dataset

Quality dependant on source data provider• Changes are not made to the data by UNEP-WCMC

Restrictions on data access & use• Sensitivity/privacy
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Attribute Data Standards
22 attributes for each site
Uses ISO & IUCN terminology
Sets Clear Requirements:
 Minimum Core Enhanced

Source data (9 attributes)

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Points

13%

Polygons

87%

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WDPA Oct. ‘13: 193,583 records

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Governance categories

AGovernance by government

B

Shared governanceCPrivate governance

DGovernance by indigenous peoples andlocal communities
Not reported
010

2030

40

5060

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What PPAs are in the WDPA?

17,505 sites

Federal or national ministry or agency in charge

A. Governance by government Sub-national ministry or agency in charge
Government-delegated management (e.g., to an NGO)

WDPA

‘Private’
names

42997

2998

29631

597

Transboundary management

B. Shared governance

C. Private governanceCollaborative management

3811Joint management

6767

Declared and run by individual land-owner

2504

78

…by non-profit organizations (e.g., NGOs, universities)

5133

61

…by for-profit organizations (e.g., individual or corporate)

1111

32

63

53

1073
433

25

1100935598

Private governance

D. Governance by indigenous Indigenous peoples’ conserved areas and territories
peoples and local communities Community conserved areas
Not reported

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Points0.5%

Polygons

99.5%

WDPA Oct. ‘13: 17,505 records, 29 countries
8,055 inFinland
6,144 inUSA

2,458 in
Australia

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World Database on
Protected Areas

Protected Areas
Official sites (UN List )Other effectivemeans

WDPA_ID

Site Descriptor
Management effectiveness

Un-official sites (authoritative)
Social assessments

Un-official sites (unvalidated)
Species trends

ICCAs; LMMAs; etc..

Habitat condition

Other sites?
Irreplaceability

Cultural sites?

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WDPA Update Process
Validationby country

RequestBuildUpdateWDPACapacity

Reconcile

Receive
Data

Data
Validate &Format
Data

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Expanding PPA information resource
What sites qualify?
• Clear guidance, documentation, terms for inclusion• Validation and approval process

How to capture data?
• High profile at World Parks Congress,• IUCN WCPA focal points

Capacity Building• WDPA workshops• Expert review to build national capacity

Distinction between ‘official’ & ‘unofficial’ data
• Allow capture what is protected outside state sites• Expand database to include ‘Other Effectively Conserved Areas’

Effective management & management effectiveness• Assessments of management and its effectiveness• Biodiversity ‘outcomes
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Thank you!
naomi.kingston@unep-wcmc.org

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