Conservation Tracking

RCoE Action

Topic

Policy

Target

Title

The African Development Corridors Database (ADCD) is a comprehensive, georeferenced database detailing 79 ongoing and planned investment corridors across Africa, synthesizing data on 184 specific infrastructure projects (railways, ports, pipelines, airports, techno-cities, and industrial parks). Its purpose is to allow for critical assessment of the spatial and temporal impacts of massive infrastructure investments to maximize development opportunities and support the UN Sustainable Development Goals and AU Agenda 2063. The database includes 22 interlinked tabular and spatial attributes with provided sources, which is expected to improve coordination, efficiency, strategic planning, transparency, and impact assessments for governments, investment banks, practitioners, and conservationists, among other stakeholders.

Map showing the average continental surface temperature of the year 2022. This map was created by interpolating raw monthly satellite data to fill holes in the grids and subsequently adding and averaging the monthly surface temperatures of the year 2022. The data is clipped to only show the African continental region. The raw data is collected during the daytime by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), an instrument on NASA's Terra and Aqua satellites. Please note that the type of "surface" MODIS measures varies as a function of location. In some places, the measurement represents the skin temperature of the bare land surface. In other places, the temperature represents the skin temperature of whatever is on the land-including snow and ice, or the leafy canopy of forests and crop fields, or human-made structures such as pavement and building rooftops.
Values are expressed in °C.
This dataset is part of the LEAP-RE project collection. For more information visit https://www.leap-re.eu/

This dataset provides fixed broadband performance metrics in zoom level 16 web Mercator tiles (approximately 610.8 meters by 610.8 meters at the equator). Download speed is collected via the Speedtest by Ookla applications for Android and iOS and averaged for each tile. Measurements are filtered to results containing GPS-quality location accuracy. Speedtest data is used today by commercial fixed network operators around the world to inform network buildout, improve global Internet quality, and increase Internet accessibility. This data can be used for rural and urban connectivity development, to help make the internet better, faster, and more accessible for everyone.

This layer provides estimates of the percentage of children aged 2 to 10 years (PfPR2–10) with detectable Plasmodium falciparum parasites in 2022. The estimates are generated using geostatistical models based on point prevalence surveys, routine surveillance data, and a wide range of geospatial covariates representing mosquito habitat and environmental conditions. The data are available annually from 2000 onward, covering all malaria-endemic countries, at a spatial resolution of 5 × 5 km.

This dataset provides mobile (cellular) network performance metrics in zoom level 16 web Mercator tiles (approximately 610.8 meters by 610.8 meters at the equator). Download speed is collected via the Speedtest by Ookla applications for Android and iOS and averaged for each tile. Measurements are filtered to results containing GPS-quality location accuracy. Speedtest data is used today by commercial mobile network operators around the world to inform network buildout, improve global Internet quality, and increase Internet accessibility. This data can be used for rural and urban connectivity development, to help make the internet better, faster, and more accessible for everyone.

This dataset compiles global and regional models of the Mohorovičić discontinuity (Moho) depth from 2019 to 2022, providing key insights into crustal thickness and lithospheric boundaries. All layer values are expressed in kilometers (km). It includes the Moho Depth (Finger et al., 2022) map, which details the boundary derived from S-wave seismic tomography data, alongside its corresponding Moho Depth Uncertainty layer to highlight spatial confidence and data reliability. Additionally, it features the Global Moho Depth (Szwillus et al., 2019) map, derived using a nonstationary kriging algorithm (Risser & Calder, 2017), which serves as an excellent comparative baseline for structural, geophysical, and tectonic analysis.

These layers are part of the Geothermal Atlas for Africa developed within the LEAP-RE project

Net official development assistance (ODA) is government aid designed to promote the economic development and welfare of developing countries. Aid may be provided bilaterally, from donor to recipient, or channelled through a multilateral development agency such as the United Nations or the World Bank. Net official aid (OA) refers to aid flows from official donors to more advanced (developing) countries and territories. Official aid is provided under terms and conditions similar to those for ODA. This map shows the aggregated figure (sum of ODA and OA) for African countries. Data are in current U.S. dollars.

This dataset represents a geographic clip to Africa of the World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA), which is the authoritative and most complete global dataset on terrestrial and marine protected areas. The parent database is a joint initiative between the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), managed by the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC). Information is submitted and verified by international secretariats, national and regional governments, NGOs, communities, and landowners.

This spatial dataset has been specifically filtered and clipped to include only protected areas located within the terrestrial and marine boundaries of the African continent and its associated island nations.

The dataset comprises both spatial data (GIS boundaries) and attribute data (descriptive information) for protected sites across Africa. Key attributes include site name, designation type (national, regional, or international), governance model, IUCN management category, marine/terrestrial status, and legal establishment date.

The WDPA is the primary global mechanism used to track progress toward international area-based conservation targets. This African subset is widely used across various sectors for:

Conservation & Science: Ecological research, protected area monitoring, and biodiversity assessments specific to African biomes.
Corporate & Financial Risk: Environmental impact assessments and supply chain risk analyses for infrastructure and commercial projects operating in Africa.
Policy & Reporting: Informing national and international decision-making and tracking regional progress toward the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

The global WDPA dataset is updated and released on a monthly basis through the Protected Planet platform. This clip was extracted on May 2026.

This dataset compiles geophysical models detailing the thickness of the Earth's outer layers, ranging from surface sedimentary basins down to the base of the lithosphere. The collection serves a dual purpose: it provides broad, global baseline data for sediment distribution, while also offering high-resolution, integrated regional models specifically focused on the African plate.

Dataset Contents:

I. Global Baselines

Global Sediment Thickness (Laske & Masters, 2013): The global sediment thickness baseline extracted from the CRUST1.0 model. This provides broad, foundational coverage across both continental and oceanic domains. (Values expressed in km).
Global Oceanic Sediment Thickness (Straume et al., 2019): A high-resolution, 5-arc-minute grid detailing total sediment thickness specifically for the world's oceans and marginal seas, compiled from extensive new data and previous work. (Values expressed in m).

II. African Regional Models

Combined Sediment Thickness (Africa): A synthesized, optimized sedimentary thickness map for Africa and its surrounding regions. This layer intelligently merges the Laske & Masters (2013) and Straume et al. (2019) maps, prioritizing the Straume data wherever overlaps occur to maximize resolution. (Values expressed in m).
Crustal Thickness (Globig et al., 2016): An Africa-specific crustal thickness map derived from the integrated modeling of elevation, geoid data, and rigorous thermal analysis. (Values expressed in km).
Lithosphere Thickness (Globig et al., 2016): An Africa-specific lithospheric thickness map, complementing the crustal layer, derived using the same integrated elevation, geoid, and thermal modeling approach. (Values expressed in km).

These layers are part of the Geothermal Atlas for Africa developed within the LEAP-RE project

HydroRIVERS represents a vectorized line network of all global rivers that have a catchment area of at least 10 km² or an average river flow of at least 0.1 m³/sec, or both. HydroRIVERS only includes a limited amount of (mostly geometric) attribute information, such as the river reach length, the distance from upstream headwaters and ocean outlet, the river order, and an estimate of long-term average discharge. Every river reach is also co-registered to the sub-basin of the HydroBASINS database in which it resides (via a shared ID). Extracted from HydroSHEDS at 15 arc-second resolution, this layer is part of the HydroATLAS collection..

The INFORM Risk Index 2021 is a composite model structured into a hierarchy of dimensions, categories, and components. All scores are normalized on a scale of 0 to 10 (10 being the highest risk).

Below is the clear breakdown of the index's architecture based on your descriptions:

The Composite Index

The top-level score representing a country's overall risk of humanitarian crisis. It is used to assign countries into Risk Classes:

Low: ≤3.5
Medium: 3.5−5.0
High: 5.0−6.5
Very High: ≥6.5

Dimension: Vulnerability

This dimension measures the predisposition of a population to be affected by a hazard based on economic, political, and social characteristics.

Sub-Index: Socio-Economic Vulnerability

An aggregate index covering three main components of systemic instability:

Development Deprivation: Measures poverty using the Human Development Index (HDI) and Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI).
Inequality: Captures the dispersion of human development, including the Gender Inequality Index and the Gini Coefficient.
Aid Dependency: Measures economic instability through reliance on public aid, development assistance, and remittances.

Sub-Index: Vulnerable Groups

Captures social groups with limited access to care and heightened susceptibility:

Uprooted People: Tracks refugees, IDPs, and returnees.
Children Under 5: Specifically monitors child malnutrition and mortality rates.
Recent Shocks: Factors in populations already affected by natural disasters in the last 3 years.
Food Security: Captures trends in chronic hunger and nutritional balance.
Health Conditions: Monitors the prevalence of pandemics (HIV, TB, Malaria) and neglected tropical diseases.

Dimension: Lack of Coping Capacity

This dimension measures the ability of a country to manage and recover from disasters through its infrastructure and government effort.

Sub-Index: Institutional Capacity

Measures the "soft" infrastructure of a country's disaster management:

Governance: Captures government effectiveness, resilience-building, and political integrity (lack of corruption).
DRR Implementation: Quantifies how well Disaster Risk Reduction activities are actually put into practice.

Sub-Index: Infrastructure

Measures the "hard" assets and systems available during a crisis:

Communication: Evaluates the efficiency of early warning dissemination and the literacy/education of the recipients.
Physical Connectivity: Assesses the accessibility of transport and the quality/availability of water and sanitation services.
Access to Healthcare: Captures health system strength, including physician density and maternal/infant health services.

This spatial dataset contains the geographic boundaries and ecological evaluations of 45 Key Landscapes for Conservation and Development (KLCDs) across Sub-Saharan Africa. Building on the <a href="https://africa-knowledge-platform.ec.europa.eu/dataset/key-landscapes-c…; Key Landscapes for Conservation (KLCs) </a> identified in the EU report <a href="https://op.europa.eu/sl/publication-detail/-/publication/d76ac7eb-bc4a-…;“Larger than elephants”</a>, the NaturAfrica initiative is rolled out across these key biodiversity and development landscapes.

NaturAfrica's efforts are concentrated on ‘mega-landscapes’—biogeographical regions identified as crucial for both conservation and development. These regions encompass:
<ul>
<li>The forest ecosystems of the Congo Basin;</li>
<li>Landscapes of transhumance pastoralists in North Cameroon, the Central African Republic, and Chad;</li>
<li>Guinean forests of West Africa;</li>
<li>Savannahs in the Sudano-Sahelian zone of West Africa;</li>
<li>Savannahs and watersheds of the East Africa rift;</li>
<li>Transfrontier conservation areas of Southern Africa.</li>
</ul>

The layer was developed to support the prioritization of intervention areas for the second phase of this initiative, which combines conservation with sustainable job creation. It provides a spatially explicit characterization of ecological value across these landscapes, evaluated and attributed based on five core ecological and environmental dimensions:
<ul>
<li>Threatened Species Richness: Concentration and diversity of threatened species.</li>
<li>Species Endemicity: Presence of endemic species unique to the specific geographic region.</li>
<li>Ecosystem Integrity: The integrity of protected and conserved areas, accounting for degrees of human modification and habitat fragmentation.</li>
<li>Ecological Connectivity: The degree of connectivity and spatial linkages between protected and conserved areas.</li>
<li>Ecosystem Services: Provisioning and regulating services, with a specific focus on carbon storage and water services.</li>
</ul>

Purpose
The layer was created to inform the EC Directorate General for International Partnerships (DG INTPA) and policymakers in selecting and prioritizing funding intervention areas based on specific targets (e.g., species conservation, connectivity, or water security) within different biogeographical regions. It serves as a spatial decision-support tool to align with the European Green Deal and the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030.

Geographic Extent
<ul>
<li>Region: Sub-Saharan Africa</li>
<li>Coverage: 45 distinct Key Landscapes for Conservation and Development (KLCDs)</li>
</ul>

Keywords
<ul>
<li>Thematic: Biodiversity Conservation, NaturAfrica, Ecosystem Services, Protected Areas, Habitat Connectivity, Species Endemicity, European Green Deal, Ecosystem Integrity, Transfrontier Conservation, Mega-landscapes.</li>
<li>Spatial: Sub-Saharan Africa, Congo Basin, West Africa, East Africa, Southern Africa, Sudano-Sahelian zone.</li>
</ul>

Lineage / Data Source
This dataset is derived from the <a href="https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC145021"> technical assessment conducted for the European Commission Knowledge Centre for Biodiversity (KCBD) </a>.