Global trends in conserved areas
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This indicator provides a global overview of terrestrial and marine conserved areas. Conserved areas are lands and waters which are managed in ways that achieve positive long-term outcomes for the conservation of biodiversity. They also provide opportunities for people to connect with nature. The term “conserved areas” includes both protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures. Protected areas are recognised, dedicated and managed for the purpose of conserving nature in the long term (for example, national parks). Other effective area-based conservation measures are geographically defined areas which are not protected areas, but which are governed and managed in ways that help conserve biodiversity for the long term (for example, some indigenous territories, watersheds or resource management areas). Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity set a target to conserve at least 30% of terrestrial areas and inland waters, and 30% of coastal and marine areas, by 2030.Footnote 1
Global results
Global area conserved
Key results
- As of May 2023, globally
- 17.1% of terrestrial area, including freshwater, was conserved, including 15.9% in protected areas
- 8.3% of marine area, including international waters, was conserved, almost all in protected areas (8.2%)
Percentage of global area conserved in relation to global 2030 targets, May 2023
Data table for the long description
Territory | Area protected (percentage) |
Area conserved (percentage) |
Target for 2030 (percentage) |
---|---|---|---|
Terrestrial area | 15.9 | 17.1 | 30 |
Marine area | 8.2 | 8.3 | 30 |
Note: Area conserved includes area protected as well as other effective area-based conservation measures.
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How this indicator was calculated
Note: Antarctica is not included. Terrestrial area includes both land and freshwater. Marine area includes territorial seas, exclusive economic zones and areas beyond national jurisdiction. For more information on the definition of protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures, please refer to the Data sources and methods.
Source: United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre and International Union for Conservation of Nature (2023) World Database on Protected Areas and World Database on Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures. May 2023 release.
As of May 2023, out of 248 countries, only 10 had submitted other effective area-based conservation measures (OECMs) to the World Database on Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures. Canada accounts for 19% of the total area of OECMs.
Trends in global conserved areas
Key results
- Between 1990 and May 2023,
- global terrestrial conserved areas coverage increased from 7.7% (10.4 million km2) to 17.1% (23.1 million km2)
- global marine conserved areas coverage increased from 0.4% (1.8 million km2) to 8.3% (29.9 million km2)
Percentage of global area conserved, 1990 to 2023
Data table for the long description
Year | Terrestrial area conserved (thousands of square kilometres) |
Terrestrial area conserved (percentage) |
Marine area conserved (thousands of square kilometres) |
Marine area conserved (percentage) |
---|---|---|---|---|
1990 | 10 422 | 7.7 | 1 789 | 0.5 |
1991 | 10 691 | 7.9 | 1 837 | 0.5 |
1992 | 10 953 | 8.1 | 1 877 | 0.5 |
1993 | 11 516 | 8.5 | 1 892 | 0.5 |
1994 | 11 858 | 8.8 | 1 913 | 0.5 |
1995 | 12 252 | 9.1 | 1 956 | 0.5 |
1996 | 12 860 | 9.5 | 1 977 | 0.5 |
1997 | 13 222 | 9.8 | 2 002 | 0.6 |
1998 | 13 564 | 10.1 | 2 034 | 0.6 |
1999 | 13 944 | 10.3 | 2 068 | 0.6 |
2000 | 14 859 | 11.0 | 2 104 | 0.6 |
2001 | 15 535 | 11.5 | 2 297 | 0.6 |
2002 | 16 280 | 12.1 | 2 406 | 0.7 |
2003 | 16 658 | 12.3 | 2 439 | 0.7 |
2004 | 17 078 | 12.7 | 2 558 | 0.7 |
2005 | 17 507 | 13.0 | 2 659 | 0.7 |
2006 | 18 097 | 13.4 | 4 572 | 1.3 |
2007 | 18 604 | 13.8 | 5 749 | 1.6 |
2008 | 19 555 | 14.5 | 5 830 | 1.6 |
2009 | 20 031 | 14.8 | 7 560 | 2.1 |
2010 | 20 246 | 15.0 | 9 015 | 2.5 |
2011 | 20 459 | 15.2 | 9 077 | 2.5 |
2012 | 20 716 | 15.4 | 10 951 | 3.0 |
2013 | 21 049 | 15.6 | 11 195 | 3.1 |
2014 | 21 238 | 15.7 | 12 611 | 3.5 |
2015 | 21 500 | 15.9 | 13 679 | 3.8 |
2016 | 21 723 | 16.1 | 16 240 | 4.5 |
2017 | 21 927 | 16.3 | 21 961 | 6.1 |
2018 | 22 111 | 16.4 | 26 330 | 7.3 |
2019 | 22 333 | 16.6 | 27 481 | 7.6 |
2020 | 22 455 | 16.6 | 28 054 | 7.7 |
2021 | 22 455 | 16.6 | 28 054 | 7.7 |
2022 | 22 906 | 17.0 | 29 941 | 8.3 |
2023 | 23 105 | 17.1 | 29 941 | 8.3 |
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How this indicator was calculated
Note: Antarctica is not included. Terrestrial area includes both land and freshwater. Marine area includes territorial seas, exclusive economic zones and areas beyond national jurisdiction.
Source: United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre and International Union for Conservation of Nature (2023) World Database on Protected Areas and World Database on Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures. May 2023 release.
Globally, over 21 million km2, or 42% of the current area conserved, were recognized since 2010. Marine and coastal areas had the largest increase in coverage over this period and can be broken down into national waters and international waters. Conserved areas within marine areas under national jurisdiction have reached 19%, while only 1.4% of international marine areas are conserved.Footnote 2
Results by country
Comparison of protected areas, selected countries
This section provides a comparison of area protected among 10 selected countries. Selected countries include the Group of 7 (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States), Australia (the population, population density and territorial extent are similar to Canada), the Russian Federation (a large northern country like Canada) and Sweden (which has a similar climate).Footnote 3
Key results
- As of May 2023, among a group of 10 selected countries, Canada
- ranked third in total terrestrial area protected and fourth in total marine area protected
- ranked second-to-last in the percentage of terrestrial area protected and marine area protected
Area protected and percentage of territory protected, selected countries, 2023
Data table for the long description
Country | Terrestrial area (thousands of square kilometres) |
Terrestrial area protected (thousands of square kilometres) |
Terrestrial area protected (percentage) |
Marine area (thousands of square kilometres) |
Marine area protected (thousands of square kilometres) |
Marine area protected (percentage) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Australia | 7 722 | 1 572 | 20.4 | 7 432 | 3 295 | 44.3 |
Canada | 9 955 | 1 265 | 12.7 | 5 698 | 516 | 9.1 |
France | 549 | 156 | 28.4 | 344 | 171 | 49.8 |
Germany | 358 | 134 | 37.6 | 56 | 26 | 45.5 |
Italy | 301 | 65 | 21.6 | 539 | 57 | 10.6 |
Japan | 374 | 111 | 29.7 | 4 041 | 561 | 13.9 |
Russian Federation | 16 875 | 1 931 | 11.4 | 7 673 | 171 | 2.2 |
Sweden | 449 | 69 | 15.4 | 155 | 24 | 15.8 |
United Kingdom | 245 | 68 | 27.8 | 723 | 319 | 44.1 |
United States | 9 490 | 1 235 | 13.0 | 8 591 | 1 636 | 19.0 |
Global excluding Antarctica[A] | 134 918 | 21 515 | 15.9 | 362 330 | 29 582 | 8.2 |
Note: [A] The global total excluding Antarctica is published in the Protected Planet Report 2020.
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How this indicator was calculated
Note: Terrestrial area includes both land and freshwater. Marine area includes territorial seas and exclusive economic zones. The total area protected of a country is related to the country's total area. Only data from the World Database on Protected Areas are used to ensure consistency among countries. The analysis uses only data for areas that meet the international definition of a protected area and does not include other effective area-based conservation measures (OECMs). It also uses a different methodology than Canada's national reporting. For authoritative Canadian national reporting, see Canada's conserved areas indicators.
Source: United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre and International Union for Conservation of Nature (2021) World Database on Protected Areas. May 2023 release.
While Canada protects a large area,Footnote 4 its percentage of terrestrial and marine area protected is lower than the average among the comparison group of countries. Likewise, the Russian Federation, with the largest terrestrial area (16.9 million km2) is also the country with the highest total terrestrial area protected. However, it ranks last in terms of the percentage of its terrestrial area protected.
The 4 largest countries by area, selected for comparison typically have the largest area protected. The Russian Federation, Australia, the United States and Canada are the top 4 countries in terms of terrestrial area protected. Australia, the United States, Japan and Canada have the largest marine area protected.
Among the selected countries, Germany, Japan, France, the United Kingdom, Italy and Australia each protect over 17% of their total terrestrial area. France, Germany, Australia, the United Kingdom, the United States, Sweden, Japan and Italy each protect over 10% of their total marine area. When taking into account Canada's other effective area-based conservation measures (OECMs), Canada has conserved well over 10% of its total marine area.Footnote 5 Footnote6
About the indicator
About the indicator
What the indicator measures
This indicator reports the amount and percentage of global terrestrial and marine area conserved for the preservation of nature. The indicator also shows a comparison of area protected among 10 selected countries. Global information on protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures is collected, analyzed and made available by the World Database on Protected Areas and the World Database on Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures. Land and/or water access and use within protected areas are controlled primarily for the purpose of conserving nature (for example, a park, a conservation area or a wildlife reserve). Other effective area-based conservation measures (OECMs) are also managed in ways that achieve positive and sustained long-term outcomes for the conservation of biodiversity, regardless of their stated objectives.
Why this indicator is important
Conserved areas (protected areas and OECMs) are key management tools used for the preservation of biodiversity. Well-managed conserved areas are one way to protect wild species and their habitats for present and future generations. Habitat conservation is a measure of human response to the loss of biodiversity and natural habitat.
Related initiatives
The indicator contributes to the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. It is linked to Target 3: "Ensure and enable that by 2030 at least 30% of terrestrial, inland water and of coastal and marine areas, especially areas of particular importance for biodiversity and ecosystem functions and services, are effectively conserved and managed through ecologically representative, well-connected and equitably governed systems of protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures, recognizing indigenous and traditional territories, where applicable, and integrated into wider landscapes, seascapes and the ocean, while ensuring that any sustainable use, where appropriate in such areas, is fully consistent with conservation outcomes, recognizing and respecting the rights of indigenous peoples and local communities including over their traditional territories.”
Conserved areas also contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. They are linked to Goal 14, Life Below Water and Target 14.5, "By 2020, conserve at least 10% of coastal and marine areas, consistent with national and international law and based on the best available scientific information." They are also linked to Goal 15, Life on Land and Target 15.1, "By 2020, ensure the conservation, restoration and sustainable use of terrestrial and inland freshwater ecosystems and their services, in particular forests, wetlands, mountains and drylands, in line with obligations under international agreements."
Related indicator
Canada's conserved areas indicator reports the amount and proportion of Canada's terrestrial and marine area that is conserved.
Data sources and methods
Data sources and methods
Data sources
The data used for the indicator are from the May 2023 update of the World Database on Protected Areas and the World Database on Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures (the databases), available from Protected Planet.Footnote 6 Governments and non-governmental organizations submit their data to the databases. Only sites meeting the international definitions for a protected area or other effective area-based conservation measure (OECM) are used for calculating protected area and OECM coverage.
More information
Protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures
Protected areas together with OECMs are referred to as conserved areas. Protected areas recognized as meeting the International Union for Conservation of Nature definition are used for calculating protected area coverage: "A protected area is a clearly defined geographical space, recognised, dedicated and managed, through legal or other effective means, to achieve the long term conservation of nature with associated ecosystem services and cultural values."
Other effective area-based conservation measures must meet the Convention on Biodiversity definition to be used for calculating OECM coverage: "A geographically defined area other than a Protected Area, which is governed and managed in ways that achieve positive and sustained long-term outcomes for the in situ conservation of biodiversity."
World Database on Protected Areas and World Database on Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures
The United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre compiles the data provided by protected area and OECM authorities. For example, government agencies provide data on federal protected areas and OECMs, sub-national agencies provide data on sub-national areas, non-governmental organizations may provide data on areas they own and manage, communities may provide data on the areas they conserve and manage, and so on.
For Canada, the data providers include:
- the Government of Canada which provides the Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database
- Ramsar Secretariat, on behalf of Ramsar Contracting Parties, for wetlands recognized under the Ramsar Convention
- the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), for World Heritage Sites
The capacity, methods and formats of data management vary among data providers; therefore, the global databases are a mosaic of geographic information system data at varying levels of completeness, resolution and quality. Nevertheless, data must meet a minimum standard (PDF; 1.36 MB). If an area is no longer conserved, it is removed from the database.
Data include all protected areas and OECMs reported as existing in May 2023. Antarctica is excluded because it cannot be attributed to any particular nation. For this reason, it is not included under the jurisdictional clause of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity.
International comparisons in the indicator are restricted to a set of 10 countries. Where possible, the Canadian Environmental Sustainability Indicators program uses a common set of countries for international comparison. Selected countries are the Group of 7 (G7), Australia (the population, population density and territorial extent are similar to Canada), the Russian Federation (a large northern country like Canada) and Sweden (which has a similar climate).
National and global statistics were compiled from the May 2023 snapshots of the databases. The databases are updated on a monthly basis as new data are received. However, there is a time lag between when a data provider submits its data and when updates are completed. This is due to time needed to review, verify, incorporate and analyze the data. Although data providers may submit their data as information becomes available, updates are requested at least every 5 years. At any given time, data from different countries may have different date stamps. The May 2023 World Database on Protected Areas and World Database on Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures snapshots contain Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database data date stamped December 2022.
Methods
The reported values are based on analyses conducted by the United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre. These analyses support the Protected Planet Digital Report and the monthly update of the Protected Planet website. A spatial analysis uses the boundaries (or estimated boundaries) of sites to account for overlaps and calculate the overall protected area and other effective area-based conservation measure (OECM) coverage.
More information
The World Database on Protected Areas and the World Database on Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures (the databases) are held within a geographic information system. They store information about protected areas / OECMs, including attributes such as their name, designation, date of designation and documented area, as well as their geographic location as a point or a polygon.
Data selection
All sites included in the databases are used for protected area and OECM coverage analyses, with the exception of:
- sites that have a status of Proposed or Not Reported
- sites submitted as points with no reported area
- United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Man and the Biosphere Reserves, on the basis that the buffer and transitional zones of many of these sites are not protected. Core zones are usually protected areas designated at a national level and are typically accounted for in the analyses
Man and the Biosphere Reserve sites reported as OECMs are included in the coverage analyses.
Sites with an unknown year of establishment are treated as if they had been conserved prior to 1990.
Data analyses
The United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre completed the data analyses used for the indicator. A summary of the methodology used to calculate the global and national protected area and OECM totals is outlined on the Protected Planet website.
The spatial analysis uses a world base map that combines the exclusive economic zones and the terrestrial country boundaries (World Vector Shoreline). Each country is given its own base layer that is used to calculate national totals. The national totals calculated using a global data layer may differ from the results reported nationally. For more information on the differences between the analyses completed by the World Conservation Monitoring Centre and the Government of Canada, please refer to the Caveats and limitations section.
National totals
The World Conservation Monitoring Centre estimates national protected area and OECM totals separately. Since the indicator does not report OECMs for the comparison by country, only the methods used to calculate national protected area totals are provided below.
National protected area totals are calculated from the monthly release of the World Database on Protected Areas. If the boundaries of a site were not known, but its location and extent were known, it was modelled as a circular buffer around its point location. All of the site boundaries (polygons) were combined into a single data layer by country. This correctly accounts for overlaps among polygons within the country, but retains overlaps between countries.
The data layer was intersected with the world base map to establish country boundaries, including coastlines and marine boundaries. Transboundary protected areas were spatially divided based on the location of each part of the protected area and allocated to the corresponding countries using the world base map.
The intersected output was converted to an equal area projection to estimate the total protected area coverage (in square kilometres) by country. For each country, the percentage of terrestrial area protected was calculated by dividing the total area protected by the total area of its land (including inland waters). The percentage of marine area protected was calculated by dividing the total area of marine protected areas by the total national area of the territorial seas and exclusive economic zone.
National analyses of marine protected area are conducted for the combined territorial sea and exclusive economic zone of each country.Footnote 7 Claimed areas of the continental shelf are not considered.
Global totals
The World Conservation Monitoring Centre estimates global protected area and OECM totals separately. Global protected area totals are calculated from the monthly release of the World Database on Protected Areas. If the boundaries of a site were not known, but its location and extent were known, it was modelled as a circular buffer around its point location. All of the site boundaries (polygons) were combined into a single data layer to account for overlaps among polygons and avoid double counting.
The global protected areas data layer was intersected with the world base map. This intersected output was converted to an equal area projection to estimate the total protected area coverage (in square kilometres). Global terrestrial protected area coverage (percentage) was calculated by dividing the total area of terrestrial protected areas by the global terrestrial area. Antarctica was excluded from the analysis. Global marine protected area coverage was calculated by dividing the total area of marine protected areas by the global marine area. Global marine area includes territorial seas, exclusive economic zones and areas beyond national jurisdiction (beyond 200 nautical miles), often referred to as the "high seas."
The steps taken to calculate global OECM totals are similar to those used for global protected areas totals. Global OECM totals are calculated from the monthly release of the World Database on Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures. If the boundaries of a site were not known, but its location and extent were known, it was modelled as a circular buffer around its point location. All of the site boundaries (polygons) were combined into a single data layer. Using the global protected areas data layer, areas where protected areas and OECMs overlap were erased from the OECMs data layer. The global OECMs data layer was intersected with the world base map. This intersected output was converted to an equal area projection to estimate the total OECM coverage (in square kilometres). Calculated OECM area are summed for the terrestrial and marine biomes.
Lastly, the total global conserved area coverage is calculated. Total terrestrial conserved area coverage is the sum of the total area of terrestrial protected areas and the total area of terrestrial OECMs divided by the total global terrestrial area excluding Antarctica. Total marine conserved area coverage is equal to total global marine protected areas coverage and total global marine OECM coverage.
Recent changes
The current iteration of the indicator includes other effective area-based conservation measures in addition to protected areas at the global level. This change reflects development of the World Database on Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures (the database). Since many countries have yet to report their OECMs to the database, the comparison by country was limited to protected areas.
Caveats and limitations
The indicator is based on a compilation of data from many providers and data quality is variable.
Because conserved areas vary in the type and degree of protection as well as in the qualitative value afforded by such protection (for example, connectivity, representativeness, high biodiversity areas), comparisons between countries should be made with caution. The extent to which the lands and waters of a country are conserved is a useful indicator of conservation effort. However, it is not an indication of how well managed conserved areas are, nor does it mean that conservation measures are adequately enforced.
Differences between this indicator and Canada's national estimates should be expected due to a number of factors, including differences in methodology and data providers.
More information
The indicator reports only protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures recognized under the international definitions that have been reported to the World Database on Protected Areas and the World Database on Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures (the database). The addition of OECMs has been in development since 2019. To assess progress towards Aichi Target 11, the United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre uses both protected areas and OECMs from the databases.
Although Canadian OECMs are captured at the global level, there are very few reported OECMs. As of May 2023, 28% (231 of 829 OECMs) of the OECMs in the database have been submitted by Canada. None of the other countries used for comparison in the indicator reported any OECMs.
Data availability and quality are improving, but not evenly across the globe. Data on protected area coverage are available for over 190 countries and territories. However, there are known gaps.
The United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre calculates national and global protected area and OECM coverage through a series of spatial analyses of the databases. A summary of these analyses is outlined in the Methods section.
The methods stated that if the boundaries of a site were unknown, but its location and extent were known, it was modelled as a circular buffer around its point location. However, the buffered points can underestimate or overestimate conserved area totals. The circular buffer may cover areas where conserved areas do not exist (overestimation) or overlap with existing conserved areas (underestimation). For sites that are split between the terrestrial and marine biomes, buffering makes it difficult to assign portions to the correct biome.
Sources of discrepancies between the global estimates for Canada and Canada's national reporting on conserved areas
The date stamps of Canada's national reporting and the global estimates for Canada can vary. However, at the time of publishing, the global estimates for Canada taken from the May 2023 update of the World Database on Protected Areas align with the December 31, 2021 snapshot of the Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database. The World Conservation Monitoring Centre's estimates for Canada are based on:
- the December 31, 2021 snapshot of the Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database, updated in the World Database on Protected Areas in 2022
- UNESCO World Heritage Sites data, updated in the World Database on Protected Areas in 2021
- Ramsar Wetlands of International Importance data updated in the World Database on Protected Areas in 2020
Because of the way in which the World Database on Protected Areas and the World Database on Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures are compiled, recently designated areas may not appear in the databases.
Canada's national reporting does not include data reported by international conventions for World Heritage Sites and Ramsar sites.
The global estimates for Canada and Canada's national reporting on conserved areas use different map projections and geographic base layers, as appropriate to the scale of their respective analyses. These cause differences in the estimated area of protected and conserved areas as well as in the baseline areas for terrestrial and marine territory. In Canada, marine and terrestrial areas are labelled by the reporting jurisdiction and this information is used in the Canadian analysis. The Canadian analysis uses national data layers that provide more detailed information for Canada. For the World Conservation Monitoring Centre analyses, polygons are divided into marine and terrestrial categories using mapped coastlines from a global layer. This causes differences in the marine/terrestrial split, where many marine coastal areas in Canada are classified as terrestrial in the World Conservation Monitoring Centre analyses. Because the majority of Canada's marine conserved area is coastal, the global conserved area estimates for Canada are skewed towards the terrestrial biome. These methodological differences contribute to discrepancies between the global estimates for Canada and Canada's national reporting on conserved areas.
Resources
Resources
References
Dudley N (ed.) (2013) Guidelines for Applying Protected Area Management Categories. Gland, Switzerland. Retrieved on May 1, 2023.
United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (2019) User Manual for the World Database on Protected Areas and World Database on Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures: 1.6 (PDF; 1.36 MB). Cambridge, United Kingdom. Retrieved on May 1, 2023.
United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre and International Union for Conservation of Nature (2021) Calculating protected and OECM area coverage. Retrieved on May 1, 2023.
United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre and International Union for Conservation of Nature (2021) Protected Planet Report 2020. Cambridge, United Kingdom and Gland, Switzerland. Retrieved on May 1, 2023.
United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre and International Union for Conservation of Nature (2023) World Database on Protected Areas and World Database on Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures. May 2023 release. Retrieved on May 1, 2023.
Related information
Biodiversity Indicators Partnership
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