PAD-US 1.1 (CBI Edition): coastal Gulf of Mexico Protected Areas

Protected areas within 1 mile of the Gulf shoreline, or that intersect with NHD waterbodies that intersect the 1 mile coastal boundary. These protected areas are most likely to be affected by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill should oil reach the area that they are in.

Note: the interior protected areas shown in Alabama and Louisiana are the result of the structure of PAD-US 1.1 (CBI Edition); they are all of the same designation, within state, and therefore exist in the dataset as a single, rather than multi-part, feature. Those portions that intersect shoreline or wetlands are most likely to be affected by oil.

Original 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.