The Protected Areas Thematic Network brings together the main governmental and non-governmental organisations working on PA data management in the region in order to promote the more effective sharing of information on protected areas within and between the countries of the Americas Hemisphere, building on and contributing to existing global experience in this area through close collaboration with the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas and the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre.
Resource Type: Tools / ApplicationsDatasets Available from UNEP-WCMC: Excluding WDPA
Access to UNEP-WCMC datasets is provided on the understanding that you read and consent to be bound by the Terms and Conditions attached. For the purposes of this Agreement the “Data” comprise any of the spatial data and associated attribute data downloadable from the UNEP-WCMC website, excluding the World Database on Protected Areas.
Based on the Wilderness Index developed by the Australian Heritage Commission (R. Lesslie, in litt., 30 May 1998). The wilderness value of any given point is essentially a measure of remoteness from human influence and is assessed on the basis of: remoteness from settlement (settled land or points of permanent occupation), from access (constructed vehicle access routes), and apparent naturalness (remoteness from permanent manmade structures) (Lesslie and Maslen, 1995). The analysis is carried out on a grid, using data from the Digital Chart of the World (DCW), and remoteness is measured as a distance from each grid point to the nearest feature of each class within a given radius (generally 30 km). Wilderness value is the sum of standardised values for each indicator class.
Resource Type: Spatial Data / MapsThe UNEP-WCMC Species Database contains comprehensive nomenclatural, distribution and legal data for species of conservation concern throughout the world.
Resource Type: Tools / Applications
This database was created and is maintained by UNEP-WCMC with financial support from the European Commission and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee of the United Kingdom.
It contains nomenclatural, distribution and legal data on CITES-listed species.
This information resource is a result of long-term collaboration between countless individual scientists worldwide and many organizations whose contribution is gratefully acknowledged.
Resource Type: Tools / ApplicationsIn 2008, the Convention on Biological Diversity adopted scientific criteria for identifying ecologically or biologically significant marine areas in need of protection on the open oceans and deep seas.
While much scientific discovery lies ahead, available information and current and emerging methodologies already allow us to begin identifying oceanic features that are likely of particular ecological or biological importance.
The CITES Trade Database, managed by UNEP-WCMC on behalf of the CITES Secretariat, is a unique resource that holds over 11 million records of trade in wildlife and over 50,000 scientific names of taxa listed by CITES. Contracting Parties provide annual reports to the CITES Secretariat including full details of all export and import permits and certificates issued during the previous year. More than 850,000 records of trade in CITES-listed species of wildlife are reported annually.
Resource Type: Tools / ApplicationsThe CITES Trade Data Dashboards are a new, interactive and dynamic way of viewing the trade data submitted by CITES Parties in their annual reports to the Convention. The Global dashboard displays global trade trends (e.g. global trade in live reptiles), whereas the National dashboard shows information by country. The dashboards have been developed by UNEP-WCMC on behalf of the CITES Secretariat.
Resource Type: Tools / ApplicationsUNEP-WCMC provides access to data, information documents and analytical tools relevant to the CITES community and other biodiversity related Conventions.
Resource Type: Tools / ApplicationsThe areas of the ocean that lie beyond national jurisdiction limits, also called the high seas, are vulnerable to human activities and currently underrepresented when compared to terrestrial and nearshore1 marine environments under protection. Thus, there is a growing movement among the conservation community to increase measures, such as marine protected areas, that can ensure protection of the largely undiscovered but important biodiversity of the high seas.
Resource Type: ReportsThis synthesis focuses on estimates of biodiversity change as projected for the 21st century by models or extrapolations based on experiments and observed trends. The term “biodiversity” is used in a broad sense as it is defined in the Convention on Biological Diversity to mean the abundance and distributions of and interactions between genotypes, species, communities, ecosystems and biomes. This synthesis pays particular attention to the interactions between biodiversity and ecosystem services and to critical “tipping points” that could lead to large, rapid and potentially irreversible changes. Comparisons between models are used to estimate the range of projections and to identify sources of uncertainty. Experiments and observed trends are used to check the plausibility of these projections. In addition we have identified possible actions at the local, national and international levels that can be taken to conserve biodiversity. We have called on a wide range of scientists to participate in this synthesis, with the objective to provide decision makers with messages that reflect the consensus of the scientific community and that will aid in the development of policy and management strategies that are ambitious, forward looking and proactive.
Resource Type: Reports©2013 UNEP All rights reserved