This dataset represents a geographic clip to Africa of the World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA), which is the authoritative and most complete global dataset on terrestrial and marine protected areas. The parent database is a joint initiative between the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), managed by the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC). Information is submitted and verified by international secretariats, national and regional governments, NGOs, communities, and landowners. This spatial dataset has been specifically filtered and clipped to include only protected areas located within the terrestrial and marine boundaries of the African continent and its associated island nations. The dataset comprises both spatial data (GIS boundaries) and attribute data (descriptive information) for protected sites across Africa. Key attributes include site name, designation type (national, regional, or international), governance model, IUCN management category, marine/terrestrial status, and legal establishment date. The WDPA is the primary global mechanism used to track progress toward international area-based conservation targets. This African subset is widely used across various sectors for: Conservation & Science: Ecological research, protected area monitoring, and biodiversity assessments specific to African biomes. Corporate & Financial Risk: Environmental impact assessments and supply chain risk analyses for infrastructure and commercial projects operating in Africa. Policy & Reporting: Informing national and international decision-making and tracking regional progress toward the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. The global WDPA dataset is updated and released on a monthly basis through the Protected Planet platform. This clip was extracted on May 2026.

This spatial dataset contains the geographic boundaries and ecological evaluations of 45 Key Landscapes for Conservation and Development (KLCDs) across Sub-Saharan Africa. Building on the Key Landscapes for Conservation (KLCs) identified in the EU report “Larger than elephants”, the NaturAfrica initiative is rolled out across these key biodiversity and development landscapes. NaturAfrica's efforts are concentrated on ‘mega-landscapes’—biogeographical regions identified as crucial for both conservation and development. These regions encompass: The forest ecosystems of the Congo Basin; Landscapes of transhumance pastoralists in North Cameroon, the Central African Republic, and Chad; Guinean forests of West Africa; Savannahs in the Sudano-Sahelian zone of West Africa; Savannahs and watersheds of the East Africa rift; Transfrontier conservation areas of Southern Africa. The layer was developed to support the prioritization of intervention areas for the second phase of this initiative, which combines conservation with sustainable job creation. It provides a spatially explicit characterization of ecological value across these landscapes, evaluated and attributed based on five core ecological and environmental dimensions: Threatened Species Richness: Concentration and diversity of threatened species. Species Endemicity: Presence of endemic species unique to the specific geographic region. Ecosystem Integrity: The integrity of protected and conserved areas, accounting for degrees of human modification and habitat fragmentation. Ecological Connectivity: The degree of connectivity and spatial linkages between protected and conserved areas. Ecosystem Services: Provisioning and regulating services, with a specific focus on carbon storage and water services. Purpose The layer was created to inform the EC Directorate General for International Partnerships (DG INTPA) and policymakers in selecting and prioritizing funding intervention areas based on specific targets (e.g., species conservation, connectivity, or water security) within different biogeographical regions. It serves as a spatial decision-support tool to align with the European Green Deal and the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030. Geographic Extent Region: Sub-Saharan Africa Coverage: 45 distinct Key Landscapes for Conservation and Development (KLCDs) Keywords Thematic: Biodiversity Conservation, NaturAfrica, Ecosystem Services, Protected Areas, Habitat Connectivity, Species Endemicity, European Green Deal, Ecosystem Integrity, Transfrontier Conservation, Mega-landscapes. Spatial: Sub-Saharan Africa, Congo Basin, West Africa, East Africa, Southern Africa, Sudano-Sahelian zone. Lineage / Data Source This dataset is derived from the technical assessment conducted for the European Commission Knowledge Centre for Biodiversity (KCBD) .

All known formal and informal settlements of forcibly displaced and stateless people in Africa from UNHCR’s GIS database as of November 2025. Population in the settlement. It may include several categories: Refugees, Returnees, IDP, Asylum-seeker, Stateless and Mixed.Formal Settlement: Formal settlements are places where official land is allocated for a group of asylum seekers, refugees, or IDPs. They are accommodated in purpose-built settlements with access to facilities and services. An official management entity is assigned. Camps are a type of formal settlement. Informal Settlement: In an informal settlement, a group of asylum-seekers, refugees, or IDPs choose to settle in self-identified spontaneous sites. Self-settled settlements are often located on state-owned, private, or communal land, with or without negotiations with the local population or private landowners.

A placeholder layer to get the legend in the GBIF dataset

The IUCN IMMA layer identifies specific habitat areas crucial for one or more marine mammal species, which may be suitable for conservation through delineation and management. IMMAs represent regions that could benefit from targeted protection and/or monitoring. They serve as a marine mammal data layer highlighting important biodiversity, and potentially ecosystem health, which can be prioritized for protection and management by governments, intergovernmental organizations, conservation groups, and the public.

Seagrass is found on all continents except Antarctica, covering roughly 0.1% of the ocean floor. However, its global extent remains inadequately mapped, with estimates varying between 160,387 km² and 670,000 km², posing a significant challenge for conservation efforts. The UNEP-WCMC seagrass dataset indicates that Africa harbors approximately 12% of the world’s seagrass.

Seagrass is found on all continents except Antarctica, covering roughly 0.1% of the ocean floor. However, its global extent remains inadequately mapped, with estimates varying between 160,387 km² and 670,000 km², posing a significant challenge for conservation efforts. The UNEP-WCMC seagrass dataset indicates that Africa harbors approximately 12% of the world’s seagrass.

Tropical moist forests have a huge environmental value. They play an important role in biodiversity conservation, terrestrial carbon cycle, hydrological regimes, indigenous population subsistence and human health (1-5). They are increasingly recognized as an essential element of any strategy to mitigate climate change. Deforestation, and degradation compromise the functioning of tropical forests as an ecosystem, lead to biodiversity loss and reduced carbon storage capacity. Deforestation and fragmentation are increasing the risk of virus disease outbreaks. This map shows where deforestation occurred in the last three decades (between 1982 and 2020) and the year when the forest cover has been deforested for the first time (followed or not by a regrowth).

The Copernicus Global Land Service - Burnt Area products depict burn scars, surfaces which have been sufficiently affected by fire to display significant changes in the vegetation cover (destruction of dry material, reduction or loss of green material) and in the ground surface (temporarily darker because of ash). The monthly products are available at global scale in the spatial resolution of 300 m and cover the period from January 2019 to April 2022. The pixel bears the value of the day of the year in which the burn scars were visible while, if selected for mapping in this platform, the dataset shows the burn scars detected in the selected month.