Equatorial Guinea
Within the country profile you can explore global and national datasets and near real-time information.
24315
GQ
GNQ
226
Forest Cover
Forests worldwide are in a state of flux, with accelerating losses in some regions and gains in others. Given the recognized importance of forest ecosystem services, quantification of global forest ex...
32021
Forests worldwide are in a state of flux, with accelerating losses in some regions and gains in others. Given the recognized importance of forest ecosystem services, quantification of global forest extent and change is needed. This map displays the tree cover in the year 2000. Tree cover is defined as canopy closure for all vegetation taller than 5m in height and is expressed as a percentage per output grid cell, in the range 0–100.
Goal 15
Description
Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.
Reference Link
Forest Gain
Forests worldwide are in a state of flux, with accelerating losses in some regions and gains in others. Given the recognized importance of forest ecosystem services, quantification of global forest ex...
32023
Forests worldwide are in a state of flux, with accelerating losses in some regions and gains in others. Given the recognized importance of forest ecosystem services, quantification of global forest extent and change is needed. This map displays the forest gain during the period 2000–2018. Forest gain is defined as the inverse of loss, or a change from non-forest to forest entirely within the study period. It is expressed as either 1 (gain) or 0 (no gain).
Goal 15
Description
Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.
Reference Link
Forest Loss
Forests worldwide are in a state of flux, with accelerating losses in some regions and gains in others. Given the recognized importance of forest ecosystem services, quantification of global forest ex...
32025
Forests worldwide are in a state of flux, with accelerating losses in some regions and gains in others. Given the recognized importance of forest ecosystem services, quantification of global forest extent and change is needed. This map displays the forest loss during the period 2000–2018, defined as a stand-replacement disturbance, or a change from forest to non-forest state. It is expressed as either 1 (loss - in red) or 0 (no loss).
Goal 15
Description
Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.
Reference Link
Total Carbon
Carbon storage in biomass (biological material) is a key link in the global carbon cycle, and consequently for climate change mitigation. Forests in particular are an important carbon sink that help r...
32029
Carbon storage in biomass (biological material) is a key link in the global carbon cycle, and consequently for climate change mitigation. Forests in particular are an important carbon sink that help reduce the greenhouse effect. Together, the above-ground carbon (carbon fraction contained in the stems, barks, branches and twigs of living trees), the belowground biomass carbon (carbon fraction contained in roots of living trees) and the soil organic carbon (amount of carbon stored in the soil) provide a complete overview of the total carbon stored in forest areas (trees and soil). This map shows the total carbon stored expressed in units of dry mass (Mg) per ground area unit (km2).
Goal 15
Description
Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.
Reference Link
Goal 13
Description
Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts (Acknowledging that the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is the primary international, intergovernmental forum for negotiating the global response to climate change.)
Reference Link
Protected Areas
Protected areas have long played a crucial role in protecting natural landscapes and wildlife, and many consider them to be one of the most effective tools in protecting biodiversity. The Internationa...
37118
Protected areas have long played a crucial role in protecting natural landscapes and wildlife, and many consider them to be one of the most effective tools in protecting biodiversity. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) officially defines a protected area as ' 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'. Protected areas also play a key role in preserving the benefits that nature brings to people, often referred to as 'ecosystem services'. They come in many shapes and sizes, ranging from strict nature reserves where only scientific research is permitted, to areas that allow natural resources to be used. The World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA) is the most comprehensive global database of marine and terrestrial protected areas.
Goal 15
Description
Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.
Reference Link
Goal 14
Description
Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development
Reference Link
Key Landscapes for Conservation
Some areas in Africa represent spectacular, still viable examples of Africa’s wildlife and wild places. They are of such outstanding importance and value that they should be conserved at all costs and...
31991
Some areas in Africa represent spectacular, still viable examples of Africa’s wildlife and wild places. They are of such outstanding importance and value that they should be conserved at all costs and in principle forever. Those areas are referred to as Key Landscapes for Conservation or KLCs. A suitable network of KLCs has the potential to protect the well-known wildlife species within natural ecosystems and to stimulate rural economic growth.
Goal 15
Description
Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.
Reference Link
Natural Areas
Whether you’re monitoring crops, modelling green energy installations or soil sealing, combatting loss of natural resources or just helping countries meet their Sustainable Development Goals, chances ...
32007
Whether you’re monitoring crops, modelling green energy installations or soil sealing, combatting loss of natural resources or just helping countries meet their Sustainable Development Goals, chances are high that you’ll need an accurate and spatially detailed map on land cover and land use. Earth Observation satellites, like those from EU’s flagship programme Copernicus, are key to providing such maps, at a global scale, with free and open access. Derived from the Copernicus Global Land Cover, this map represents the distribution of areas where land cover is not heavily disturbed by man’s activities. In other words, it shows areas where natural ecosystems and their associated species are expected to be found.
Goal 15
Description
Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.
Reference Link
Goal 11
Description
Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
Reference Link
Goal 13
Description
Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts (Acknowledging that the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is the primary international, intergovernmental forum for negotiating the global response to climate change.)
Reference Link
Goal 3
Description
Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages.
Reference Link
Terrestrial Priority Ecoregions
A global strategy to conserve biodiversity must aim to protect representative examples of all of the world’s ecosystems, as well as those areas that contain exceptional concentrations of species and e...
32009
A global strategy to conserve biodiversity must aim to protect representative examples of all of the world’s ecosystems, as well as those areas that contain exceptional concentrations of species and endemics. The WWF’s Global 200 project analysed global patterns of biodiversity to identify a set of the Earth's terrestrial, freshwater, and marine ecoregions that harbour exceptional biodiversity and are representative of its ecosystems. The process yielded 238 ecoregions (the Global 200) comprised of 142 terrestrial, 53 freshwater, and 43 marine priority ecoregions. The map shows their location on the African continent. Effective conservation in these ecoregions would help conserve the most outstanding and representative habitats for biodiversity on this planet.
Goal 15
Description
Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.
Reference Link
Biodiversity Hotspots
Biodiversity hotspots are the Earth’s most biologically rich—yet heavily threatened—terrestrial regions. These are regions where success in conserving species can have an enormous impact in securing o...
32011
Biodiversity hotspots are the Earth’s most biologically rich—yet heavily threatened—terrestrial regions. These are regions where success in conserving species can have an enormous impact in securing our global biodiversity. To qualify as a biodiversity hotspot, an area must meet two strict criteria: it must contain at least 1,500 species of vascular plants found nowhere else on Earth (known as "endemic" species), and it must have lost at least 70% of its primary native vegetation. 36 regions are identified as hotspots by Conservation International and partners, 9 of which lay (partially or fully) in Africa. This dataset shows their location.
Goal 15
Description
Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.
Reference Link
Tropical Moist Forests - Deforestation year map
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 ...
31897
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).
Goal 15
Description
Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.
Reference Link
Tropical Moist Forests - Transition map
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 ...
31899
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. Accurate characterization of the tropical moist forests changes is needed to support conservation policies and to better quantify their contribution to global carbon fluxes. The transition map captures the dynamics of changes in tropical moist forests between the initial observation period (1990) and the end of the year 2020.
Goal 15
Description
Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.
Reference Link
Countries' threatened mammals
Africa is very rich in biodiversity and is the last place on Earth with a significant assemblage of large mammals. This natural richness, accumulated over millions of years, coupled with the wealth of...
31903
Africa is very rich in biodiversity and is the last place on Earth with a significant assemblage of large mammals. This natural richness, accumulated over millions of years, coupled with the wealth of indigenous and local knowledge on the continent, is central to the pursuit of sustainable development in the region. Yet the decline and loss of biodiversity is reducing nature’s contributions to people in Africa, affecting daily lives and hampering the sustainable social and economic targets set by African countries. This map shows the number of threatened mammal species by country, assessed by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and documented in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Established in 1964, the IUCN Red List is a critical indicator of the health of the world’s biodiversity that helps inform necessary conservation decisions.
Goal 15
Description
Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.
Reference Link
Tropical Moist Forests - Undisturbed tropical moist forest
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 ...
31893
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. Accurate characterization of the tropical moist forests changes is needed to support conservation policies and to better quantify their contribution to global carbon fluxes. This map shows the coverage of undisturbed tropical moist forests remaining at the end of the year 2019.
Goal 15
Description
Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.
Reference Link
Tropical Moist Forests - Degradation year map
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 ...
31895
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 degradation occurred in the last three decades (between 1982 and 2020) and the year when the forest has been degraded for the first time (and remained degraded up to 2020).
Goal 15
Description
Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.
Reference Link
Above Ground Carbon
The CO2 fixed by photosynthesis is one of the most important components of the carbon cycle. Forests play a key role in this process. They represent large and persistent carbon sinks. Tree carbon stoc...
31769
The CO2 fixed by photosynthesis is one of the most important components of the carbon cycle. Forests play a key role in this process. They represent large and persistent carbon sinks. Tree carbon stocks are important to quantify terrestrial carbon storage and carbon sinks, and to estimate potential emissions from land cover changes (deforestation, reforestation, afforestation) and from biotic (pests, diseases) and abiotic (forest fires, windstorms) disturbances. Spatially explicit data and assessments of forest biomass and carbon are thus paramount to design and implement effective sustainable forest management options and forest related policies. The above-ground carbon index presented in this dataset is expressed in Mg (megagrams or tonnes) of carbon per km2 . It corresponds to the carbon fraction of the oven-dry weight of the woody parts (stem, bark, branches and twigs) of all living trees, excluding stump and roots, as estimated by the GlobBiomass project (globbiomass.org) with 2010 as the reference year.
Goal 15
Description
Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.
Reference Link
Goal 13
Description
Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts (Acknowledging that the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is the primary international, intergovernmental forum for negotiating the global response to climate change.)
Reference Link
Species Richness - Mammals
Africa’s extraordinary richness in biodiversity and ecosystem services comprises a strategic asset for sustainable development. Yet the decline and loss of biodiversity hampers the sustainable social ...
31760
Africa’s extraordinary richness in biodiversity and ecosystem services comprises a strategic asset for sustainable development. Yet the decline and loss of biodiversity hampers the sustainable social and economic targets set by African countries. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN)'s Red List of Threatened Species is the world’s most comprehensive information source on the global conservation status of animal, fungi and plant species. This map shows the richness in mammal species based on the IUCN ranges (the species geographical distribution). Areas with a high species richness are shown in shades of red: more mammal species potentially occur in these areas.
Goal 15
Description
Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.
Reference Link
Goal 14
Description
Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development
Reference Link
Species Richness - Birds
Africa’s extraordinary richness in biodiversity and ecosystem services comprises a strategic asset for sustainable development. Yet the decline and loss of biodiversity hampers the sustainable social ...
31762
Africa’s extraordinary richness in biodiversity and ecosystem services comprises a strategic asset for sustainable development. Yet the decline and loss of biodiversity hampers the sustainable social and economic targets set by African countries. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN)'s Red List of Threatened Species is the world’s most comprehensive information source on the global conservation status of animal, fungi and plant species. This map shows the richness in bird species based on the IUCN ranges (the species geographical distribution). Areas with a high species richness are shown in shades of red: more bird species potentially occur in these areas.
Goal 15
Description
Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.
Reference Link
Copernicus Global Land Cover 2019
Whether you’re monitoring crops, modelling green energy installations or soil sealing, combatting loss of natural resources or just helping countries meet their Sustainable Development Goals, chances ...
31764
Whether you’re monitoring crops, modelling green energy installations or soil sealing, combatting loss of natural resources or just helping countries meet their Sustainable Development Goals, chances are high that you’ll need an accurate and spatially detailed map on land cover and land use. Earth Observation satellites, like those from EU’s flagship programme Copernicus, are key to providing such maps, at a global scale, with free and open access. Land cover maps represent spatial information on different types (classes) of physical coverage of the Earth's surface, e.g. forests, grasslands, croplands, lakes, wetlands. Dynamic land cover maps include transitions of land cover classes over time and hence captures land cover changes. This dataset shows the land cover for the baseline year 2019 with a discrete classification in 23 classes aligned with UN-FAO's Land Cover Classification System.
Goal 15
Description
Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.
Reference Link
Land Cover Change (1995-2015)
Land cover is defined as the physical material at the surface of the earth, usually documented via the interpretation of earth observations. Common land cover types include trees, grass, bare ground, ...
31766
Land cover is defined as the physical material at the surface of the earth, usually documented via the interpretation of earth observations. Common land cover types include trees, grass, bare ground, built up areas, water, etc. How well are different ecosystem types (as indicated by land cover) preserved and how strong are anthropogenic changes affecting their distribution in a given area? Human pressures are constantly increasing and it is important to monitor the consequences of the associated changes on the environment. This map shows the changes in land cover between 1995 and 2015.
Goal 15
Description
Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.
Reference Link
Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs)
Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) are the most important places in the world for species and their habitats. Faced with a global environmental crisis we need to focus our collective efforts on conserving ...
31752
Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) are the most important places in the world for species and their habitats. Faced with a global environmental crisis we need to focus our collective efforts on conserving the places that matter most. The KBA Programme supports the identification, mapping, monitoring and conservation of KBAs to help safeguard the most critical sites for nature on our planet – from rainforests to reefs, mountains to marshes, deserts to grasslands and to the deepest parts of the oceans. By providing the precise location of places that contribute significantly to the global persistence of biodiversity, KBAs can accelerate efforts to reverse the loss of nature, by ensuring conservation efforts are focussed in the places that matter most, and by enabling entities that may have negative impacts on nature to avoid or reduce those impacts in the places they would be most damaging. This layer shows the location of the KBAs, identified and mapped by the KBA partnership.
Goal 15
Description
Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.
Reference Link
Goal 14
Description
Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development
Reference Link
Endemic Bird Areas
Displays areas where the geographic range of two or more endemic bird species overlaps. While many bird species are widespread, over 2,500 are endemic and restricted to an area smaller than 5 million ...
31666
Displays areas where the geographic range of two or more endemic bird species overlaps. While many bird species are widespread, over 2,500 are endemic and restricted to an area smaller than 5 million hectares (restricted-range species). BirdLife International has mapped every restricted-range species using geo-referenced locality records. Through this process, they identified regions of the world—known as “Endemic Bird Areas” (EBAs)—where the distributions of two or more of these species overlap. Half of all restricted-range species are globally threatened or near-threatened, and the other half remain vulnerable to loss or degradation of habitat. The majority of EBAs are also important for the conservation of restricted-range species from other animal and plant groups. The unique landscapes where these bird species occur, amounting to just 4.5% of the earth's land surface, are high priorities for broad-scale ecosystem conservation. Geographically, EBAs are often islands or mountain ranges, and vary considerably in size, from a few hundred hectares to more than 10,000,000 hectares. EBAs also vary in the number of restricted-range species that they support (from two to 80). EBAs are found around the world, but most (77%) of them are located in the tropics and subtropics.
Goal 15
Description
Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.
Reference Link
Goal 14
Description
Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development
Reference Link
Threatened Endemic Species Richness - Mammals
Africa’s extraordinary richness in biodiversity and ecosystem services comprises a strategic asset for sustainable development. Yet the decline and loss of biodiversity hampers the sustainable social ...
31592
Africa’s extraordinary richness in biodiversity and ecosystem services comprises a strategic asset for sustainable development. Yet the decline and loss of biodiversity hampers the sustainable social and economic targets set by African countries. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN)'s Red List of Threatened Species is the world’s most comprehensive information source on the global conservation status of animal, fungi and plant species. This map shows the richness in mammal species based on the IUCN ranges (the species geographical distribution). Areas with a high species richness are shown in shades of red: more mammal species potentially occur in these areas.
Goal 15
Description
Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.
Reference Link
Goal 14
Description
Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development
Reference Link
Threatened Species Richness - Mammals
Africa’s extraordinary richness in biodiversity and ecosystem services comprises a strategic asset for sustainable development. Yet the decline and loss of biodiversity hampers the sustainable social ...
31594
Africa’s extraordinary richness in biodiversity and ecosystem services comprises a strategic asset for sustainable development. Yet the decline and loss of biodiversity hampers the sustainable social and economic targets set by African countries. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN)'s Red List of Threatened Species is the world’s most comprehensive information source on the global conservation status of animal, fungi and plant species. This map shows the richness in mammal species based on the IUCN ranges (the species geographical distribution). Areas with a high species richness are shown in shades of red: more mammal species potentially occur in these areas.
Goal 15
Description
Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.
Reference Link
Goal 14
Description
Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development
Reference Link
Endemic Species Richness - Mammals
Africa’s extraordinary richness in biodiversity and ecosystem services comprises a strategic asset for sustainable development. Yet the decline and loss of biodiversity hampers the sustainable social ...
31596
Africa’s extraordinary richness in biodiversity and ecosystem services comprises a strategic asset for sustainable development. Yet the decline and loss of biodiversity hampers the sustainable social and economic targets set by African countries. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN)'s Red List of Threatened Species is the world’s most comprehensive information source on the global conservation status of animal, fungi and plant species. This map shows the richness in mammal species based on the IUCN ranges (the species geographical distribution). Areas with a high species richness are shown in shades of red: more mammal species potentially occur in these areas.
Goal 15
Description
Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.
Reference Link
Goal 14
Description
Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development
Reference Link
Threatened Endemic Species Richness - Birds
Africa’s extraordinary richness in biodiversity and ecosystem services comprises a strategic asset for sustainable development. Yet the decline and loss of biodiversity hampers the sustainable social ...
31598
Africa’s extraordinary richness in biodiversity and ecosystem services comprises a strategic asset for sustainable development. Yet the decline and loss of biodiversity hampers the sustainable social and economic targets set by African countries. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN)'s Red List of Threatened Species is the world’s most comprehensive information source on the global conservation status of animal, fungi and plant species. This map shows the richness in bird species based on the IUCN ranges (the species geographical distribution). Areas with a high species richness are shown in shades of red: more bird species potentially occur in these areas.
Goal 15
Description
Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.
Reference Link
Threatened Species Richness - Birds
Africa’s extraordinary richness in biodiversity and ecosystem services comprises a strategic asset for sustainable development. Yet the decline and loss of biodiversity hampers the sustainable social ...
31600
Africa’s extraordinary richness in biodiversity and ecosystem services comprises a strategic asset for sustainable development. Yet the decline and loss of biodiversity hampers the sustainable social and economic targets set by African countries. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN)'s Red List of Threatened Species is the world’s most comprehensive information source on the global conservation status of animal, fungi and plant species. This map shows the richness in bird species based on the IUCN ranges (the species geographical distribution). Areas with a high species richness are shown in shades of red: more bird species potentially occur in these areas.
Goal 15
Description
Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.
Reference Link
Endemic Species Richness - Birds
Africa’s extraordinary richness in biodiversity and ecosystem services comprises a strategic asset for sustainable development. Yet the decline and loss of biodiversity hampers the sustainable social ...
31602
Africa’s extraordinary richness in biodiversity and ecosystem services comprises a strategic asset for sustainable development. Yet the decline and loss of biodiversity hampers the sustainable social and economic targets set by African countries. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN)'s Red List of Threatened Species is the world’s most comprehensive information source on the global conservation status of animal, fungi and plant species. This map shows the richness in bird species based on the IUCN ranges (the species geographical distribution). Areas with a high species richness are shown in shades of red: more bird species potentially occur in these areas.
Goal 15
Description
Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.
Reference Link
Threatened Endemic Species Richness - Amphibians
Africa’s extraordinary richness in biodiversity and ecosystem services comprises a strategic asset for sustainable development. Yet the decline and loss of biodiversity hampers the sustainable social ...
31608
Africa’s extraordinary richness in biodiversity and ecosystem services comprises a strategic asset for sustainable development. Yet the decline and loss of biodiversity hampers the sustainable social and economic targets set by African countries. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN)'s Red List of Threatened Species is the world’s most comprehensive information source on the global conservation status of animal, fungi and plant species. This map shows the richness in amphibian species based on the IUCN ranges (the species geographical distribution). Areas with a high species richness are shown in shades of red: more amphibian species potentially occur in these areas.
Goal 15
Description
Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.
Reference Link
Litter Carbon
The Dead Wood Carbon and Litter Carbon pools have been estimated at global level as constant fractions of ESA Biomass CCI Above Ground Biomass (AGB), v.3 (2018) using a lookup table based on global ec...
31576
The Dead Wood Carbon and Litter Carbon pools have been estimated at global level as constant fractions of ESA Biomass CCI Above Ground Biomass (AGB), v.3 (2018) using a lookup table based on global ecological zone, elevation and precipitation regime, as proposed by Harris, N.L., Gibbs, D.A., Baccini, A. et al. Global maps of twenty-first century forest carbon fluxes. Nat. Clim. Chang. 11, 234–240 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-020-00976-6
Goal 15
Description
Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.
Reference Link
Goal 13
Description
Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts (Acknowledging that the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is the primary international, intergovernmental forum for negotiating the global response to climate change.)
Reference Link
African development corridors and their impact on Protected Areas.
The African Development Corridors published by Thorn, J.P.R., Bignoli, D.J., Mwangi, B. et al. The African Development Corridors Database: a new tool to assess the impacts of infrastructure investment...
31510
The African Development Corridors published by Thorn, J.P.R., Bignoli, D.J., Mwangi, B. et al. The African Development Corridors Database: a new tool to assess the impacts of infrastructure investments. Sci Data 9, 679 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-022-01771-y have been buffered according to the level of intervention (Major road: 15 km, Passenger and freight railway: 10 km, Railway: 5 km, Pipeline: 2,5km). Data obtained was intersected with the country boundaries and with protected areas (WDPA, February 2023 version) obtaining the percentage of PA coverage of corridors in each country.
Goal 15
Description
Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.
Reference Link
Goal 10
Description
Reduce inequality within and among countries
Reference Link
Goal 11
Description
Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
Reference Link
Goal 9
Description
Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation
Reference Link
Sea Surface Temperature (SST)
Ocean temperature is related to ocean heat content (the energy absorbed by the ocean), an important topic in the study of global warming. Monitoring of sea surface temperature (SST) from earth-orbitin...
31835
Ocean temperature is related to ocean heat content (the energy absorbed by the ocean), an important topic in the study of global warming. Monitoring of sea surface temperature (SST) from earth-orbiting infrared radiometers has had a wide impact on oceanographic science. It provides fundamental information on the global climate system and for the study of marine ecosystems. For example, it helps estimating heat stress conducive to coral bleaching, the process by which they expel the symbiotic algae living in their tissues and become white (bleached) and vulnerable. The NOAA Coral Reef Watch Daily Global 5km Satellite Sea Surface Temperature product (a.k.a. CoralTemp) measures the night-time ocean temperature at the sea surface, calibrated to 0.2 meters depth.
Goal 13
Description
Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts (Acknowledging that the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is the primary international, intergovernmental forum for negotiating the global response to climate change.)
Reference Link
Goal 14
Description
Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development
Reference Link
Map of agricultural land of continental Africa
The map is based on Copernicus Global Land Cover data which shows actual land cover (what physically covers land across the globe—forests, grasslands, croplands, lakes, wetlands, built-up area, etc) a...
37189
The map is based on Copernicus Global Land Cover data which shows actual land cover (what physically covers land across the globe—forests, grasslands, croplands, lakes, wetlands, built-up area, etc) at 100m x 100m resolution. The land cover data for Africa was overlaid on (high resolution) satellite imagery of Africa, which is then used to determine the land use (by visual interpretation) associated with the various land cover patterns on the Copernicus Global Land Cover map.Copernicus land cover data offers several advantages: it is of high quality, has a high resolution (100m x 100m), and offers time series satellite imagery. More importantly, the Copernicus Global Land Service is a continuous process and its datasets are updated annually. This means that the Soils4Africa map of agricultural land can be updated every time the land cover data for the new year becomes available (the map is currently based on 2019 data).The Copernicus dataset already includes the category ‘cropland,’ which by definition is part of agricultural land. The Soils4Africa map broadens the scope of that dataset by infering information on agricultural use and including other kinds of agricultural land use such as grazing pastures and plantations.When land is mapped as other than ‘cropland'-- like ‘shrubland’ for example-- it is more difficult to interpret and determine whether it is under agricultural use. The Copernicus dataset includes information about ‘fractional cover’-- or the percentage of a particular pixel under a particular kind of land cover (for example, 30% of a 100m x 100m pixel could be forest and 20% could be shrubland). The Soils4Africa map takes into account how fractional cover varies over an area to establish rules for interpreting its land cover data to determine whether it is under agricultural use and for what purpose. These rules were validated by comparing it with ground level information on land use (or land use pattern) for specific areas drawn from the interpretation of satellite imagery from Google Earth.For example, ground-level observation shows that forest cover upwards of 30% in a given area when matched by shrubland cover of over 30%, is characterized by woody vegetation with a smooth canopy. Therefore, such area is more likely to be under plantations rather than natural forest. Thus, such an area should be counted as agricultural land, even if less than 15% of it is under crops.
Digital Elevation Model (ESA - 30 meters)
The Copernicus DEM is a Digital Surface Model (DSM) that represents the surface of the Earth including buildings, infrastructure and vegetation. It is offered in three resolutions and two...
35122
The Copernicus DEM is a Digital Surface Model (DSM) that represents the surface of the Earth including buildings, infrastructure and vegetation. It is offered in three resolutions and two extents (Global; EEA39). The Copernicus DEM available here is a subset of the COP-DEM_GLO-30-DGED dataset, with 30 m resolution and global extent. This dataset was made available for use in 2019 and will be maintained until 2026; the version available in this platform was released in 2022.
The Copernicus DEM is released with a free and open license that can be consulted here. More information on the dataset can be found at this link.
Postharvest loss estimates for mais
Substantial crop losses occur at various stages along the postharvest value chain. Losses result from poor handling and storage practices combined with limited awareness, infrastructure, and knowledge...
32417
Substantial crop losses occur at various stages along the postharvest value chain. Losses result from poor handling and storage practices combined with limited awareness, infrastructure, and knowledge. The African Postharvest Losses Information System (APHLIS) (www.aphlis.net) is the foremost international effort to collect, analyse and disseminate data on postharvest losses of cereal grains in sub-Saharan Africa. The cumulative % loss in weight incurred during harvesting, drying, threshing/shelling, winnowing, household-level storage, transport and market-level storage for the selected crop, location, and year is presented. Complimentary data sets are collected and used to convert this % loss into absolute loss values in tonnes, US$ and nutrients, along with the nutritional and financial impacts of these losses by province and country. Understanding the magnitude of postharvest loss, the points in the value chain where losses occur, and the causes and impacts of loss helps decision-makers formulate effective policies and invest in successful postharvest loss programmes.
Goal 12
Description
Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
Reference Link
Goal 13
Description
Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts (Acknowledging that the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is the primary international, intergovernmental forum for negotiating the global response to climate change.)
Reference Link
Soil Map
In most people's mind, soil would not figure highly in a list of the natural resources of Africa. However, healthy and fertile soils are the cornerstones of food security, key environmental services, ...
32013
In most people's mind, soil would not figure highly in a list of the natural resources of Africa. However, healthy and fertile soils are the cornerstones of food security, key environmental services, social cohesion and the economies of most African countries. Unfortunately, soil in Africa tends to reach public awareness only when it fails – often with catastrophic consequences as seen by the famine episodes of the Sahel in the 1980s and more recently in Niger and the Horn of Africa. In the context of major global environmental challenges such as food security, climate change, fresh water scarcity and biodiversity loss, the protection and the sustainable management of soil resources in Africa are of paramount importance. This layer presents the diversity of soil types across Africa. This map was produced by the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission for the Soil Atlas of Africa.
Goal 2
Description
End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture
Reference Link
Goal 13
Description
Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts (Acknowledging that the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is the primary international, intergovernmental forum for negotiating the global response to climate change.)
Reference Link
Goal 15
Description
Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.
Reference Link
Land Degradation
Humans need increasingly more biomass for food, fodder, fiber and energy. In Africa, circa 22% of the vegetated land surface showed a decline or unstable land productivity between 1999 and 2013. Persi...
32031
Humans need increasingly more biomass for food, fodder, fiber and energy. In Africa, circa 22% of the vegetated land surface showed a decline or unstable land productivity between 1999 and 2013. Persistent reduction of land productivity points to long-term alteration of the health and productive capacity of the land, which are characteristic of land degradation. It has impact on ecosystem services and benefits, thus on the sustainable livelihoods of human communities. This map shows the dynamics of (vegetated) land productivity over a time period, in other terms the trajectories of above-ground biomass. It reflects changes in ecosystem functioning e.g. vegetation growth cycles due to natural variation and/or human intervention, and can be associated with processes of land degradation or recovery. The 5 classes depict two levels of persistent productivity decline, one level of instability or stress in capacity, one level of stable productivity and one level of increased productivity.
Goal 15
Description
Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.
Reference Link
Goal 7
Description
Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all
Reference Link
Cropland extent
By detecting areas where agricultural production deficits might occur, it is possible to prevent food security crises and anticipate response planning. To do this, we need accurate and reliable inform...
32034
By detecting areas where agricultural production deficits might occur, it is possible to prevent food security crises and anticipate response planning. To do this, we need accurate and reliable information on agricultural land cover. This layer shows the extent of cropland in Africa. Each pixel represents the fraction of the area covered by cropland (i.e. the percentage of the pixel with crops).
Goal 2
Description
End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture
Reference Link
Goal 12
Description
Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
Reference Link
Goal 2
Description
End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture
Reference Link
Frequency of ten-daily warnings about rangeland anomalies
Food crisis response planning can save lives if put in place in a timely manner. To do this, decision makers must be warned of climate extreme events impacting agricultural production. The Anomaly hot...
31997
Food crisis response planning can save lives if put in place in a timely manner. To do this, decision makers must be warned of climate extreme events impacting agricultural production. The Anomaly hotSpot of Agricultural Production tool (ASAP) is an online decision support system for early warning about hotspots of agricultural production anomaly (crop and rangeland), developed by the JRC for food security crises prevention and response planning anticipation. This map shows the frequency of ASAP anomaly warnings for rangeland growth for 2004-2018. It highlights the high sensitivity of the main agricultural areas in Northern Africa, the Horn of Africa and the Southern African Development Community to drought conditions.
Goal 12
Description
Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
Reference Link
Goal 2
Description
End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture
Reference Link
Goal 1
Description
End poverty in all its forms everywhere.
Reference Link
Frequency of ten-daily warnings about crop anomalies
Food crisis response planning can save lives if put in place in a timely manner. To do this, decision makers must be warned of climate extreme events impacting agricultural production. The Anomaly hot...
31999
Food crisis response planning can save lives if put in place in a timely manner. To do this, decision makers must be warned of climate extreme events impacting agricultural production. The Anomaly hotSpot of Agricultural Production tool (ASAP) is an online decision support system for early warning about hotspots of agricultural production anomaly (crop and rangeland), developed by the JRC for food security crises prevention and response planning anticipation. This map shows the frequency of ASAP anomaly warnings for crop growth for 2004-2018. It highlights the high sensitivity of the main agricultural areas in Northern Africa, the Horn of Africa and the Southern African Development Community to drought conditions.
Goal 12
Description
Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
Reference Link
Goal 2
Description
End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture
Reference Link
Goal 1
Description
End poverty in all its forms everywhere.
Reference Link
Rangeland
By detecting areas where agricultural production deficits might occur, it is possible to prevent food security crises and anticipate response planning. To do this, we need accurate and reliable inform...
32001
By detecting areas where agricultural production deficits might occur, it is possible to prevent food security crises and anticipate response planning. To do this, we need accurate and reliable information on agricultural land cover. This layer shows the extent of rangeland in Africa. Each pixel represents the fraction of the area covered by rangeland (i.e. the percentage of the pixel with rangeland).
Goal 2
Description
End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture
Reference Link
Goal 12
Description
Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
Reference Link
Goal 2
Description
End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture
Reference Link
Oil Palm Plantations
Oil seed crops, especially oil palm, are among the most rapidly expanding agricultural land uses, and their expansion is known to cause significant environmental damage. Accordingly, these crops often...
31863
Oil seed crops, especially oil palm, are among the most rapidly expanding agricultural land uses, and their expansion is known to cause significant environmental damage. Accordingly, these crops often feature in public and policy debates, which are hampered or biased by a lack of accurate information on environmental impacts. This dataset presents a global crop map. It covers areas where oil palm plantations were detected at global scale, and includes industrial and smallholder mature oil palm plantations.
Goal 15
Description
Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.
Reference Link
Decreasing land productivity (areas of concern)
Humans need increasingly more biomass for food, fodder, fibre and energy. Meeting these demands changes global ecosystems. Tracking changes in total biomass production or land productivity is an essen...
31803
Humans need increasingly more biomass for food, fodder, fibre and energy. Meeting these demands changes global ecosystems. Tracking changes in total biomass production or land productivity is an essential part of monitoring land transformations that are typically associated with land degradation. Land productivity dynamics (LPD) are used as an indicator of change or stability of the land’s capacity to sustain primary production. This layer displays the areas of concern for land productivity related issues, derived from the convergence of global evidence of human-environment interactions that can have consequences on land degradation.
Goal 15
Description
Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.
Reference Link
Soil Organic Carbon
Soil organic carbon (SOC) is the carbon that remains in the soil after partial decomposition of any material produced by living organisms. It constitutes a key element of the global carbon cycle throu...
31767
Soil organic carbon (SOC) is the carbon that remains in the soil after partial decomposition of any material produced by living organisms. It constitutes a key element of the global carbon cycle through atmosphere, vegetation, soil, rivers and the ocean. It is a crucial contributor to food production, mitigation and adaption to climate change. Soils represent the largest terrestrial organic carbon reservoir. Depending on local geology, climatic conditions and land use and management (amongst other environmental factors), soils hold different amounts of SOC. This map shows the amount of carbon stored in the soil (from 0 to 30 cm depth), expressed in Mg (megagrams or tonnes) per km2.
Goal 15
Description
Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.
Reference Link
Below ground biomass carbon
Roots are a long term and stable carbon sink, accounting for about 0.4 of the above ground biomass across biogeographical regions. Well established and developed root systems provide various ecosystem...
31771
Roots are a long term and stable carbon sink, accounting for about 0.4 of the above ground biomass across biogeographical regions. Well established and developed root systems provide various ecosystem services related to improved soil quality (higher cation exchange capacity and nutrient turnaround) and characteristics (improved soil porosity and aeration). Spatially explicit data and assessments of forest biomass and carbon are paramount to design and implement effective sustainable forest management options and forest related policies. The belowground biomass carbon index (BBCI) presented in this dataset is expressed in Mg (Megagrams or Tonnes) of carbon per km2. It represents an estimation of the carbon stored in the roots of all living trees. Together with the above-ground carbon index (AGCI) and the soil organic content index (SOCI), it provides a complete overview of the total carbon stored in forest areas (trees and soil).
Goal 15
Description
Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.
Reference Link
Goal 13
Description
Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts (Acknowledging that the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is the primary international, intergovernmental forum for negotiating the global response to climate change.)
Reference Link
Africa Land Surface Forms
The land surface forms were identified using the method developed by the Missouri Resource Assessment Partnership (MoRAP). The MoRAP method is an automated land surface form classification based on Ha...
31620
The land surface forms were identified using the method developed by the Missouri Resource Assessment Partnership (MoRAP). The MoRAP method is an automated land surface form classification based on Hammond's (1964a, 1964b) classification. MoRAP made modifications to Hammond's classification, which allowed finer-resolution elevation data to be used as input data and analyses to be made using 1 km2 moving window (True, 2002; True et al., 2000). While Hammond's methodology was based on three variables, slope, local relief, and profile type, MoRAP's methodology uses only slope and local relief (True, 2002). Slope is classified as gently sloping or not gently sloping using a threshold value of 8%. Local relief, the difference between the maximum and minimum elevation in a 1km2 neighborhood for analysis, is classified into five classes (0-15m, 16-30m, 31-90m, 91-150m, and >150m). Slope classes and relief classes were subsequently combined to produce eight land surface form classes (flat plains, smooth plains, irregular plains, escarpments, low hills, hills, breaks/foothills, and low mountains). In the implementation for the contiguous United States, Sayre et al. (2009) further refined the MoRAP methodology to identify a new land surface form class, "high mountains/deep canyons", by using an additional local relief class (>400 m). This method was implemented for Africa using a void-filled 90m SRTM elevation dataset which was created from the 30m SRTM elevation data provided by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. In the preliminary output, which had nine land surface form classes (flat plains, smooth plains, irregular plains, escarpments, low hills, hills, breaks/foothills, and low mountains, and high mountains/deep canyons), artifacts were identified over flat desert areas affecting the classification between the two lowest relief classes, "flat plains" and "smooth plains." Since this problem was especially pronounced in areas where the input SRTM elevation data originally had data-voids, the problem could have been caused by anomalies or artifacts in the input data, which resulted from the void-filling processes. Instead of further investigating causes of the problem, the two land surface form classes were combined. In addition, the "low hills" class which had a very low occurrence was combined with the "hills" class. As a result, seven land surface form classes were identified in the final dataset (smooth plains, irregular plains, escarpments, hills, breaks/foothills, low mountains, and high mountains/deep canyons).
Goal 13
Description
Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts (Acknowledging that the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is the primary international, intergovernmental forum for negotiating the global response to climate change.)
Reference Link
African development corridors database 2022
The large-scale expansion of built infrastructure is profoundly reshaping the geographies of Africa, generating lock-in patterns of development for future generations. Understanding the impact of thes...
31512
The large-scale expansion of built infrastructure is profoundly reshaping the geographies of Africa, generating lock-in patterns of development for future generations. Understanding the impact of these massive investments can allow development opportunities to be maximised and therefore be critical for attaining the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and Africa Union Agenda 2063. However, until now information on the types, scope, and timing of investments, how they have evolved, and their spatial-temporal impact was dispersed amongst various agencies. We developed the first comprehensive database of 79 ongoing and planned investment corridors across Africa, synthesizing data from multiple sources covering 184 projects on railways, wet and dry ports, pipelines, airports, techno-cities, and industrial parks. The georeferenced interlinked tabular and spatial database includes 22 attributes with sources provided for each observation. We expect this database will improve coordination, efficiency, monitoring, oversight, strategic planning, transparency, vulnerability risk, and impact assessments, among other uses for inter alia investment banks, governments, impact assessment practitioners, communities, conservationists, economists, and regional economic bodies.
Goal 10
Description
Reduce inequality within and among countries
Reference Link
Goal 11
Description
Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
Reference Link
Goal 15
Description
Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.
Reference Link
Goal 17
Description
Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development
Reference Link
Goal 9
Description
Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation
Reference Link
Urban Areas
Africa is projected to have the fastest urban growth rate in the world — by 2050, Africa’s cities will be home to an additional 950 million people. Urban planning and management are essential developm...
32015
Africa is projected to have the fastest urban growth rate in the world — by 2050, Africa’s cities will be home to an additional 950 million people. Urban planning and management are essential development challenges. Understanding urbanisation, its drivers, dynamics and impacts, is key to designing targeted, inclusive and foward-looking policies at the local, national and continental levels. Africapolis data and evidence supports cities and governments to make urban areas more inclusive, productive and sustainable. This map of urban population covers 7 500 agglomerations in 50 countries for the base year 2015.
Goal 11
Description
Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
Reference Link
Battery Size vs Photovoltaic Array ratio (kWH/KWP) - High night-time consumption
Modern energy services are crucial to human well-being and to a country’s economic development; and yet 1.2 billion people are without access to electricity. It is recognized that the central grid is ...
31975
Modern energy services are crucial to human well-being and to a country’s economic development; and yet 1.2 billion people are without access to electricity. It is recognized that the central grid is unlikely to reach many remote areas in the near future: many of these communities will have low electricity consumption, making the costs of extending the grid unaffordable. Given the evident potential of solar energy for African countries, using stand-alone and mini-grid photovoltaic (PV) systems could be an alternative approach to meet the objective of universal electrification. This layer presents the ratio between the optimized battery size (kWh) and PV array size (kWp) for PV mini-grid using Li-ion batteries to store electricity (instead of the traditional lead-acid batteries) based on a low energy consumption pattern (most energy used during night-time). A higher ratio means that the battery size needed to satisfy the same electricity demand produced by the PV system is larger. Used in combination with other sources, these data can help governments, local authorities and non-governmental organisations to investigate the suitability of PV mini-grids for electrification of regions where access to electricity is lacking.
Goal 7
Description
Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all
Reference Link
Annual energy production of hydropower plants
Many African countries, especially in the Sub-Saharan region, highly depend on hydropower, which is one of the energy sources most affected by droughts. At the same time, hydropower has a huge impact ...
31885
Many African countries, especially in the Sub-Saharan region, highly depend on hydropower, which is one of the energy sources most affected by droughts. At the same time, hydropower has a huge impact on water consumption (mainly through evaporation from reservoir surfaces) in comparison with other fuel types despite having higher densities of plants and installed capacities. Hydropower accounts for 15% of Africa’s energy production. This map shows the location and annual energy production (GWh/year) of hydropower plants with an installed capacity above 5MW in Africa for year 2016.
Goal 9
Description
Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation
Reference Link
Battery Size vs Photovoltaic Array ratio (kWH/KWP) - High day-time consumption
Modern energy services are crucial to human well-being and to a country’s economic development; and yet 1.2 billion people are without access to electricity. It is recognized that the central grid is ...
31690
Modern energy services are crucial to human well-being and to a country’s economic development; and yet 1.2 billion people are without access to electricity. It is recognized that the central grid is unlikely to reach many remote areas in the near future: many of these communities will have low electricity consumption, making the costs of extending the grid unaffordable. Given the evident potential of solar energy for African countries, using stand-alone and mini-grid photovoltaic (PV) systems could be an alternative approach to meet the objective of universal electrification. This layer presents the ratio between the optimized battery size (kWh) and PV array size (kWp) for PV mini-grid using Li-ion batteries to store electricity (instead of the traditional lead-acid batteries) based on a high energy consumption pattern (most energy used during day-time). A higher ratio means that the battery size needed to satisfy the same electricity demand produced by the PV system is larger. Used in combination with other sources, these data can help governments, local authorities and non-governmental organisations to investigate the suitability of PV mini-grids for electrification of regions where access to electricity is lacking.
Goal 7
Description
Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all
Reference Link
African development corridors database 2022
The large-scale expansion of built infrastructure is profoundly reshaping the geographies of Africa, generating lock-in patterns of development for future generations. Understanding the impact of thes...
31512
The large-scale expansion of built infrastructure is profoundly reshaping the geographies of Africa, generating lock-in patterns of development for future generations. Understanding the impact of these massive investments can allow development opportunities to be maximised and therefore be critical for attaining the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and Africa Union Agenda 2063. However, until now information on the types, scope, and timing of investments, how they have evolved, and their spatial-temporal impact was dispersed amongst various agencies. We developed the first comprehensive database of 79 ongoing and planned investment corridors across Africa, synthesizing data from multiple sources covering 184 projects on railways, wet and dry ports, pipelines, airports, techno-cities, and industrial parks. The georeferenced interlinked tabular and spatial database includes 22 attributes with sources provided for each observation. We expect this database will improve coordination, efficiency, monitoring, oversight, strategic planning, transparency, vulnerability risk, and impact assessments, among other uses for inter alia investment banks, governments, impact assessment practitioners, communities, conservationists, economists, and regional economic bodies.
Goal 10
Description
Reduce inequality within and among countries
Reference Link
Goal 11
Description
Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
Reference Link
Goal 15
Description
Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.
Reference Link
Goal 17
Description
Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development
Reference Link
Goal 9
Description
Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation
Reference Link
Urban Areas
Africa is projected to have the fastest urban growth rate in the world — by 2050, Africa’s cities will be home to an additional 950 million people. Urban planning and management are essential developm...
32015
Africa is projected to have the fastest urban growth rate in the world — by 2050, Africa’s cities will be home to an additional 950 million people. Urban planning and management are essential development challenges. Understanding urbanisation, its drivers, dynamics and impacts, is key to designing targeted, inclusive and foward-looking policies at the local, national and continental levels. Africapolis data and evidence supports cities and governments to make urban areas more inclusive, productive and sustainable. This map of urban population covers 7 500 agglomerations in 50 countries for the base year 2015.
Goal 11
Description
Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
Reference Link
Forest Loss
Forests worldwide are in a state of flux, with accelerating losses in some regions and gains in others. Given the recognized importance of forest ecosystem services, quantification of global forest ex...
32025
Forests worldwide are in a state of flux, with accelerating losses in some regions and gains in others. Given the recognized importance of forest ecosystem services, quantification of global forest extent and change is needed. This map displays the forest loss during the period 2000–2018, defined as a stand-replacement disturbance, or a change from forest to non-forest state. It is expressed as either 1 (loss - in red) or 0 (no loss).
Goal 15
Description
Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.
Reference Link
Tropical Moist Forests - Deforestation year map
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 ...
31897
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).
Goal 15
Description
Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.
Reference Link
Tropical Moist Forests - Transition map
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 ...
31899
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. Accurate characterization of the tropical moist forests changes is needed to support conservation policies and to better quantify their contribution to global carbon fluxes. The transition map captures the dynamics of changes in tropical moist forests between the initial observation period (1990) and the end of the year 2020.
Goal 15
Description
Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.
Reference Link
Tropical Moist Forests - Undisturbed tropical moist forest
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 ...
31893
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. Accurate characterization of the tropical moist forests changes is needed to support conservation policies and to better quantify their contribution to global carbon fluxes. This map shows the coverage of undisturbed tropical moist forests remaining at the end of the year 2019.
Goal 15
Description
Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.
Reference Link
Tropical Moist Forests - Degradation year map
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 ...
31895
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 degradation occurred in the last three decades (between 1982 and 2020) and the year when the forest has been degraded for the first time (and remained degraded up to 2020).
Goal 15
Description
Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.
Reference Link
Sea Surface Temperature (SST)
Ocean temperature is related to ocean heat content (the energy absorbed by the ocean), an important topic in the study of global warming. Monitoring of sea surface temperature (SST) from earth-orbitin...
31835
Ocean temperature is related to ocean heat content (the energy absorbed by the ocean), an important topic in the study of global warming. Monitoring of sea surface temperature (SST) from earth-orbiting infrared radiometers has had a wide impact on oceanographic science. It provides fundamental information on the global climate system and for the study of marine ecosystems. For example, it helps estimating heat stress conducive to coral bleaching, the process by which they expel the symbiotic algae living in their tissues and become white (bleached) and vulnerable. The NOAA Coral Reef Watch Daily Global 5km Satellite Sea Surface Temperature product (a.k.a. CoralTemp) measures the night-time ocean temperature at the sea surface, calibrated to 0.2 meters depth.
Goal 13
Description
Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts (Acknowledging that the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is the primary international, intergovernmental forum for negotiating the global response to climate change.)
Reference Link
Goal 14
Description
Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development
Reference Link
Fires last 24 Hours
The Fire Information for Resource Management System (FIRMS) of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) uses satellite observations to detect active fires and thermal anomalies. They d...
31845
The Fire Information for Resource Management System (FIRMS) of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) uses satellite observations to detect active fires and thermal anomalies. They deliver this information to decision makers in near real-time (within 3 hours of satellite observation). This dataset includes active fires of the last 24h. Each point represents the centre of a 375 m resolution pixel where a fire was detected. It is updated twice daily. Compared to other coarser resolution (≥1km) satellite fire detection products, it provides improved response for smaller fires, improved mapping of large fire perimeters, and better detection at night, when fire activities usually occur. Consequently, the data are well suited for use in support of fire tracking and management (e.g., near real-time alert systems), as well as other science applications requiring improved fire mapping fidelity.
Goal 13
Description
Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts (Acknowledging that the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is the primary international, intergovernmental forum for negotiating the global response to climate change.)
Reference Link
Goal 15
Description
Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.
Reference Link
Decreasing land productivity (areas of concern)
Humans need increasingly more biomass for food, fodder, fibre and energy. Meeting these demands changes global ecosystems. Tracking changes in total biomass production or land productivity is an essen...
31803
Humans need increasingly more biomass for food, fodder, fibre and energy. Meeting these demands changes global ecosystems. Tracking changes in total biomass production or land productivity is an essential part of monitoring land transformations that are typically associated with land degradation. Land productivity dynamics (LPD) are used as an indicator of change or stability of the land’s capacity to sustain primary production. This layer displays the areas of concern for land productivity related issues, derived from the convergence of global evidence of human-environment interactions that can have consequences on land degradation.
Goal 15
Description
Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.
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Fires (areas of concern)
Fire is a natural part of all ecosystems. Wildfires have been burning vegetation and shaping landscapes far longer than people have been on Earth. However, changes in fire frequency and timing can res...
31809
Fire is a natural part of all ecosystems. Wildfires have been burning vegetation and shaping landscapes far longer than people have been on Earth. However, changes in fire frequency and timing can result in degradation if the vegetation is not adapted to the new fire regimes. This can cause long-term damage to land biomass components affecting soil structure, nutrients and water cycling. This layer displays the areas of concern for fires related issues derived from the convergence of global evidence of human-environment interactions that can have consequences on land degradation.
Goal 15
Description
Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.
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Air Condition Risk
Air condition indicates whether the air quality is fit for human use and ecosystems. This indicator is based on PM2.5 concentrations. PM 2.5 is the annual global surface concentration (micrograms per ...
31546
Air condition indicates whether the air quality is fit for human use and ecosystems. This indicator is based on PM2.5 concentrations. PM 2.5 is the annual global surface concentration (micrograms per cubic meter) of all composition ground-level fine particulate matter of 2.5 micrometers or smaller. Exposure to high average concentrations of PM2.5 over time has been a reliable predictor of heightened mortality. It was measured by Hammer et.al. (2022) combining Aerosol Optical Depth retrievals from multiple satellite algorithms.
Goal 15
Description
Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.
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Goal 2
Description
End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture
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Water Occurrence (1984-2020)
Surface water affects many aspects of our world: the exchange of heat, gas and water vapour between the planet's surface and atmosphere. Water is the engine behind the distribution, movement and migra...
32019
Surface water affects many aspects of our world: the exchange of heat, gas and water vapour between the planet's surface and atmosphere. Water is the engine behind the distribution, movement and migration of Earth's plant and animal life and is just as essential for humans. It affects our capacity to grow crops and manage animal grazing lands, to run our industrial processes, to manufacture goods, it influences the movement of disease-vectors, toxins and pollutants, it generates energy directly (hydroelectric) and indirectly (thermoelectric), it is an essential part of our transport network, and forms part of our recreational, cultural and sporting world. The Water Occurrence dataset shows where surface water occurred between 1984 and 2018. Open water is any stretch of water open to the sky, and includes both freshwater and saltwater. The map displays water surfaces greater than 30m2 that are visible from space, including natural (rivers, lakes, coastal margins and wetlands) and artificial water bodies (reservoirs formed by dams, flooded areas such as opencast mines and quarries, flood irrigation areas such as paddy fields, and water bodies created by hydro-engineering projects such as waterway and harbour construction). This product captures both the intra and inter-annual variability and changes. The permanent water surfaces (100% occurrence over 36 years) are represented in blue, and areas where water sometimes occurs are shown in shades of pink to purple (0% < occurrence < 100%). The paler shades are areas where the water occurs less frequently. The map can support better informed water-management decision-making.
Goal 6
Description
Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
Reference Link
Water Quality – Trophic State
Freshwater, in sufficient quantity and quality, is essential for all aspects of life and fundamental to sustainable development. Yet water-related ecosystems are threatened by human activities. Eutrop...
31919
Freshwater, in sufficient quantity and quality, is essential for all aspects of life and fundamental to sustainable development. Yet water-related ecosystems are threatened by human activities. Eutrophication is a common threat: the excessive growth of algae resulting in oxygen depletion. It can be occasional or frequent. To monitor this process, one can use the trophic state index. It refers to the degree at which organic matter accumulates in the lake and may be used to infer its particular state, or quality. A five year baseline (2006- 2010), per lake, has been produced. The maps depicts mean deviations (low to extreme) of trophic state in recent years (2017-2019) compared to the individual lake baseline measurements.
Goal 6
Description
Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
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Water Quality – Turbidity
Freshwater, in sufficient quantity and quality, is essential for all aspects of life and fundamental to sustainable development. Turbidity is an indicator of water clarity, quantifying the haziness of...
31921
Freshwater, in sufficient quantity and quality, is essential for all aspects of life and fundamental to sustainable development. Turbidity is an indicator of water clarity, quantifying the haziness of the water and acting as an indicator of underwater light availability. Light penetration may or may not be sufficient to support the growth of aquatic plants and adversely affect fish and shellfish populations. This parameter may be used to infer a particular state, or quality, of a freshwater body (lake, wetland or river). Mangroves, for instance, are known to reduce the turbidity of waters. A five year baseline (2006-2010), per lake, has been produced. The maps depicts mean deviations (classified from low to extreme) of turbidity in recent years (2017-2019) compared to the individual lake baseline measurements.
Goal 6
Description
Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
Reference Link
Water Transitions (1984-2018)
Freshwater, in sufficient quantity and quality, is essential for all aspects of life and fundamental to sustainable development. Yet water-related ecosystems are threatened by human activities (flow a...
31923
Freshwater, in sufficient quantity and quality, is essential for all aspects of life and fundamental to sustainable development. Yet water-related ecosystems are threatened by human activities (flow alteration; loss of connectivity; pollution; habitat degradation and loss; overexploitation of species). Tracking changes in water-related ecosystems enables decision makers to determine the extent of change over time, understand the threats and implement appropriate mitigation measures. The water transition map shows the total change in the annual extent of permanent and seasonal surface water area for lakes and rivers between 1984 and 2018. It includes surfaces of: permanent water (i.e. area where water is present 12 months per year), new permanent water (i.e. conversion of land into permanent water), lost permanent water (i.e. conversion of permanent water into land), seasonal water (i.e. area where water is present less than 12 months per year), new seasonal water (i.e. conversion of land to seasonal water), lost seasonal water (i.e. conversion of seasonal water to land), seasonal to permanent (i.e. conversion of seasonal water into permanent water) and permanent to seasonal (i.e. conversion of permanent water into seasonal water).
Goal 6
Description
Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
Reference Link
Water Transitions in Reservoir (1984-2018)
Freshwater, in sufficient quantity and quality, is essential for all aspects of life and fundamental to sustainable development. Yet water-related ecosystems are threatened by human activities (flow a...
31925
Freshwater, in sufficient quantity and quality, is essential for all aspects of life and fundamental to sustainable development. Yet water-related ecosystems are threatened by human activities (flow alteration; loss of connectivity; pollution; habitat degradation and loss; overexploitation of species). Tracking changes in water-related ecosystems enables decision makers to determine the extent of change over time, understand the threats and implement appropriate mitigation measures. Reservoirs are defined as artificial, human-made water bodies. The water transition in reservoir map shows the total change in annual extent of reservoir surface water area between 1984 and 2018. It includes surfaces of: permanent water (i.e. area where water is present 12 months per year), new permanent water (i.e. conversion of land into permanent water), lost permanent water (i.e. conversion of permanent water into land), seasonal water (i.e. area where water is present less than 12 months per year), new seasonal water (i.e. conversion of land to seasonal water), lost seasonal water (i.e. conversion of seasonal water to land), seasonal to permanent (i.e. conversion of seasonal water into permanent water) and permanent to seasonal (i.e. conversion of permanent water into seasonal water).
Goal 6
Description
Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
Reference Link
Wetlands
Water is essential for life on Earth and a critical natural resource that underpins all social and economic activity. Ensuring water and sanitation for all is one of the Sustainable Development Goals ...
31929
Water is essential for life on Earth and a critical natural resource that underpins all social and economic activity. Ensuring water and sanitation for all is one of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 6) of the 2030 Agenda. Target 6.6 specifically aims to protect and restore water-related ecosystems, including wetlands. This map shows the total area covered by inland vegetated wetlands. It includes swamps, marshes, peatlands, bogs and fens, the vegetated parts of floodplains as well as rice paddies and flood recession agriculture.
Annual energy production of hydropower plants
Many African countries, especially in the Sub-Saharan region, highly depend on hydropower, which is one of the energy sources most affected by droughts. At the same time, hydropower has a huge impact ...
31885
Many African countries, especially in the Sub-Saharan region, highly depend on hydropower, which is one of the energy sources most affected by droughts. At the same time, hydropower has a huge impact on water consumption (mainly through evaporation from reservoir surfaces) in comparison with other fuel types despite having higher densities of plants and installed capacities. Hydropower accounts for 15% of Africa’s energy production. This map shows the location and annual energy production (GWh/year) of hydropower plants with an installed capacity above 5MW in Africa for year 2016.
Goal 9
Description
Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation
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