Data for the WDPA is collected from international convention secretariats, governments and collaborating NGOs, but the role of custodian is allocated to the Protected Areas Programme of UNEP-WCMC, based in Cambridge, UK, who have hosted the database since its creation in 1981. The WDPA delivers invaluable information to decision-makers around the world, particularly in terms of measuring the extent and effectiveness of protected areas as an indicator for meeting global biodiversity targets.Chape, S., Harrison, J., Spalding, M. and Lysenko, I. "Measuring the Extent and Effectiveness of Protected Areas as an Indicator for Meeting Global Biodiversity Targets", Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences Vol.360 (2005) pp.443–455 In October 2010, UNEP-WCMC launched the social media-based website Protected Planet, which allows users to interact with and improve the data that is currently recorded on the World Database on Protected Areas.United Nations Environment Programme Press Release: "Nagoya 2010: ProtectedPlanet.net takes you to 150,000 spectacular nature sites" Published 19 October 2010 Coral reefs near Enderbury Island, Phoenix Islands Protected Area, the largest marine protected area in the WDPA Phoenix Islands Protected Area (Image credit: Dr. Randi Rotjan) Map of the Republic of Niger's protected areas using polygon data from the WDPA(Image credit: T L Miles)Protected Areas in the Republic of Niger Nærøyfjord UNESCO World Heritage Site (Image credit: Frédéric de Goldschmidt)Nærøyfjorden Protected Landscape, Norway
Data for the WDPA is collected from international convention secretariats, governments and collaborating NGOs, but the role of custodian is allocated to the Protected Areas Programme of UNEP-WCMC, based in Cambridge, UK, who have hosted the database since its creation in 1981. The WDPA delivers invaluable information to decision-makers around the world, particularly in terms of measuring the extent and effectiveness of protected areas as an indicator for meeting global biodiversity targets.Chape, S., Harrison, J., Spalding, M. and Lysenko, I. "Measuring the Extent and Effectiveness of Protected Areas as an Indicator for Meeting Global Biodiversity Targets", Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences Vol.360 (2005) pp.443–455 In October 2010, UNEP-WCMC launched the social media-based website Protected Planet, which allows users to interact with and improve the data that is currently recorded on the World Database on Protected Areas.United Nations Environment Programme Press Release: "Nagoya 2010: ProtectedPlanet.net takes you to 150,000 spectacular nature sites" Published 19 October 2010 Coral reefs near Enderbury Island, Phoenix Islands Protected Area, the largest marine protected area in the WDPA Phoenix Islands Protected Area Map of the Republic of Niger's protected areas using polygon data from the WDPAProtected Areas in the Republic of Niger Nærøyfjord UNESCO World Heritage SiteNærøyfjorden Protected Landscape, Norway
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