Disclaimer
The designations employed and the presentation of material on this map do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.
Dotted line represents approximately the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir agreed upon by India and Pakistan. The final status of Jammu and Kashmir has not yet been agreed upon by the parties.
Final boundary between the Republic of Sudan and the Republic of South Sudan has not yet been determined.
Final status of the Abyei area is not yet determined.
A dispute exists between the Governments of Argentina and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland concerning sovereignty over the Falkland Islands (Malvinas).
Acknowledgements
The Secretariat of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) commissioned the UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) to develop a web-based tool to identify existing Protected Areas in Africa that are spatially adjacent across country boundaries, and that have the potential for harmonised management. This tool is intended to provide Governments and other actors with a scientific basis for establishing bilateral Transboundary Protected Area agreements across Africa.
Funded by the European Union with support from the Secretariat of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals.
Data considerations
The tool shows known existing TBPAs in Africa, and identifies potential TBPAs that have been identified based on the proximity of existing Protected Areas in one country to other Protected Areas in neighbouring countries. This tool is intended to help identify Protected Areas that may have the potential for harmonised management. However, further investigation, including ground research, would need to be carried out at these sites to better understand their suitability as TBPAs.
Only pairs of Protected Areas adjacent along borders have been included in the current version of the tool. However, TBPAs can contain multiple Protected Areas. Protected Areas within existing TBPAs have been excluded from the potential TBPAs. However, TBPAs can also be expanded to incorporate other neighbouring Protected Areas.
The tool uses the latest version of the World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA) for data on Protected Areas. The WDPA is the most comprehensive global database of marine and terrestrial protected areas. It is a joint project between UN Environment Programme and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and is managed by UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC), in collaboration with governments, non-governmental organisations, academia and industry.
Access to Data and any other content within the World Database on Protected Areas (the “WDPA Materials"), as made available through the ProtectedPlanet.net website is provided on the understanding that you read and consent to be bound to the Terms and Conditions set out here: https://www.protectedplanet.net/en/legal. For the purposes of this Agreement WDPA data comprise all the spatial data and associated attribute data contained within the WDPA and made available through ProtectedPlanet.net.
BirdLife International (2024) World Database of Key Biodiversity Areas. Developed by the KBA Partnership: BirdLife International, International Union for the Conservation of Nature, American Bird Conservancy, Amphibian Survival Alliance, Conservation International, Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund, Global Environment Facility, Re:wild, NatureServe, Rainforest Trust, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, Wildlife Conservation Society and World Wildlife Fund. June 2024 version. Available at http://keybiodiversityareas.org/kba-data/request
The methods used to develop this tool have been applied and expanded in the following paper: Kamath V, Brooks H, Naidoo R, Brennan A, Bertzky B, Burgess ND, McDermott Long O, Arnell A and Bhola N (2023) Identifying opportunities for transboundary conservation in Africa. Front. Conserv. Sci. 4:1237849. doi: 10.3389/fcosc.2023.1237849
