This dataset is extracted from PAD-US 1.1 (CBI Edition), and the
original metadata has been included here, below.
These protected areas were roughly identified by the Conservation
Biology Institute as being Secondarily threatened by the Deepwater
Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The probability of being
affected was determined using the University of South Florida's
Deepwater Horizon oil spill trajectory forecast from the WFS ROMS
numerical model, as projected for 06/11/2010 at 00h UTC (
http://ocg6.marine.usf.edu/~liu/oil_spill_ensemble_forecast.html
). For more information, please see the Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico
page at Data Basin (
http://www.databasin.org/aquatic-center/features/oil-spill
or
http://www.databasin.org
).
Original Metadata abstract:
Protected areas are cornerstones of national and international
conservation strategies. By way of these designations, lands and waters
are set-aside in-perpetuity to preserve functioning natural ecosystems,
act as refuges for species, and maintain ecological processes.
Complementary conservation strategies preserve land for the sustainable
use of natural resources, or for the protection of significant geologic
and cultural features or open space. PAD-US 1.1 (CBI Edition) attempts
to include all available spatial data on these places. It is our goal to
publish the most comprehensive geospatial data set of U. S. protected
areas to date. PAD-US 1.1 (CBI Edition) is limited to the continental
U.S., Alaska, and Hawaii. It does not include protected areas data for
U.S. territories at this time. The PAD-US 1.1 (CBI Edition) data set
portrays the nation's protected areas with a standardized spatial
geometry and numerous valuable attributes on land ownership, management
designations, and conservation status (using national GAP and
international IUCN coding systems). The PAD-US 1.1 (CBI Edition)
defines protected area to include all lands dedicated to the
preservation of biology diversity and to other natural, recreation and
cultural uses, and managed for these purposes through legal or other
effective means (adapted from IUCN definition). The database represents
the full range of conservation designations that preserve these natural
resources in the United States. Our database does not distinguish a
protection threshold above which biodiversity is considered secure.
Instead, a complete suite of protected area attributes are provided for
each polygon with the purpose of giving users the information they need
to define the most relevant conservation thresholds for their own
objectives and requirements. Collaborating with the nation's leading
data providers, the goal is to provide an annual update.