The Protected Areas Index is a composite index (0-1) that quantifies the proximity and coverage of protected natural areas around a monitored site. The presence of protected areas in a site's territorial context is a key indicator of biodiversity status: nearby protected areas act as species reservoirs, ecological corridors, and buffers against urbanisation and agricultural intensification.
The index combines two complementary components:
The final index value is the arithmetic mean of both indices: (inner + outer) / 2. Areas within 25 km of the site are considered, drawing from authoritative databases including WDPA, KBA, Natura 2000, CPCAD (Canada), and PAD-US (USA).
The Protected Areas Index is computed from the rasterised protected areas layer for the site using two spatial analyses combined into a single score.
Formula: Inner Index = protected pixels in ROI / total ROI pixels
Formula: Decay factor = 1 - (distance / maximum distance)
The factor is clipped to the range [0, 1].
Formula: Overall Index = (Inner Index + Outer Index) / 2
| Level | Range | Interpretation |
|---|---|---|
| A | 0.75 - 1.00 | Excellent -- site largely or fully within a protected area |
| B | 0.50 - 0.75 | Good -- strong overlap or very close proximity |
| C | 0.20 - 0.50 | Moderate -- partial overlap or moderate proximity |
| D | 0.10 - 0.20 | Poor -- little overlap, significant distance |
| E | 0.00 - 0.10 | Critical -- site isolated from protected areas |
| Source | Provider | Coverage | Format | Period |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA) | Protected Planet / UNEP-WCMC & IUCN | Global | Vector (polygon) | 2025 |
| Key Biodiversity Areas (KBA) | KBA Partnership / BirdLife International | Global | Vector (polygon) | 2025 |
| Natura 2000 | European Environment Agency (EEA) | Europe | Vector (polygon) | 2025 |
| Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD) | Government of Canada | Canada | Vector (polygon) | 2023 |
| Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US 4.1) | USGS | USA | Vector (polygon) | 2025 |
All sources are in EPSG:4326 (WGS84). No fixed spatial resolution -- rasterization is computed dynamically per site.
Ring Gauge. A circular ring gauge displaying the overall Protection Index value from 0 to 1.
Purpose: To summarise in a single figure how protected the site and its immediate surroundings are, combining both coverage and proximity.
Description: The gauge shows the overall index (e.g., 0.11) at its center with the label "Overall" below it. The ring is colored according to the site's quality grade. Below the ring, two subsidiary cards show the Inner (ROI) and Outer (CA) index values separately, allowing the user to understand how much of the protection comes from within the site versus from nearby areas.
How it's calculated: The overall index is the average of the inner index (fraction of site pixels that are protected) and the outer index (distance-decay weighted score outside the site). Range: 0.00 to 1.00.
Legend:
| Level | Range | Color | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 0.75 - 1.00 | ■ #00A67A | Excellent -- site largely or fully within a protected area |
| B | 0.50 - 0.75 | ■ #00DF80 | Good -- strong overlap or very close proximity |
| C | 0.20 - 0.50 | ■ #FFD21E | Moderate -- partial overlap or moderate proximity |
| D | 0.10 - 0.20 | ■ #FF8B16 | Poor -- little overlap, significant distance |
| E | 0.00 - 0.10 | ■ #FF367F | Critical -- site isolated from protected areas |
Interpretation example:
If the gauge shows 0.11, the site falls in the D (Poor) range -- there is little or no overlap with a protected area, but nearby areas exist within the search region. The inner index may be near zero while the outer index contributes the entire score from distant protected areas.
Assessment Sidebar Row. A row in the assessment category sidebar showing the Protected Areas quality grade for Site and Control.
Purpose: To allow quick comparison of the site's biodiversity protection level against its control area across all assessment pages.
Description: The row is labeled "Protected areas" and appears under the "E4 | Biodiversity" category in the sidebar. Two colored badges show the quality grade (A-E) for the Site (ROI) and for the Control area (CA) respectively. The grade is derived from the Protected Areas Index value.
How it's calculated: The grade is derived from the protected_areas_index value using the quality thresholds: A >= 0.75, B >= 0.50, C >= 0.20, D >= 0.10, E < 0.10.
Legend:
| Level | Range | Color | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | >= 0.75 | ■ #00A67A | Excellent protection |
| B | >= 0.50 | ■ #00DF80 | Good protection |
| C | >= 0.20 | ■ #FFD21E | Moderate protection |
| D | >= 0.10 | ■ #FF8B16 | Poor protection |
| E | < 0.10 | ■ #FF367F | Critical -- site isolated |
Interpretation example:
If the Site badge shows D and the Control shows C, the site has lower protected area connectivity than its surrounding landscape -- a potential biodiversity risk that may warrant habitat restoration or corridor creation.
Highlights Card. A summary card in the Highlights section showing the site's Protected Areas Index value at a glance.
Purpose: To surface the protected areas status on the main highlights page for quick cross-site comparison.
Description: The card shows the label "Protected areas" and the site's Protection Index value (0-1). It is one of several KPI cards visible on the highlights summary view, enabling rapid comparison across monitoring sites.
How it's calculated: The value displayed is the protected_areas_index (overall index, range 0-1).
Interpretation example:
If the card shows 0.62, the site has good protected area connectivity, likely due to proximity or partial overlap with one or more designated areas -- corresponding to a B grade.
Highlights Table Row. A row in the KPI comparison table in the Highlights section, showing the Protected Areas Index for the selected site.
Purpose: To enable quantitative comparison of the Protected Areas Index across sites or time periods in a tabular format.
Description: The row is labeled "Protected Areas Index" and appears in the KPI table view of the Highlights section. The cell shows the numeric index value with up to two decimal places.
How it's calculated: The value is the protected_areas_index (overall index, range 0-1).
Interpretation example:
If the row shows 0.11, the site has limited protected area connectivity -- a D grade -- which can be cross-referenced against other sites in the portfolio to benchmark landscape protection quality.
See the Calculation Methodology section for the core computation. Additional processing details are documented here for expert users.