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Protected Areas

Protected Areas analysis checks whether a plot or submitted geometry intersects with protected area boundaries. It is used inside Vantage EUDR analysis and can also be run as a standalone API workflow when a team only needs protected area validation.

What It Returns​

For each analyzed plot, Vantage returns a protected area summary and detailed records for each intersecting area.

The summary includes:

  • Whether any protected area overlap exists.
  • Total overlap area in hectares.
  • Total overlap percentage.
  • The most restrictive extractive-activity legality value across all overlaps.

Each protected area detail can include:

  • Canonical and local area names.
  • Protected area type and IUCN category.
  • Overlap area.
  • Source name and data version.
  • Extractive-activity legality: prohibited, limited, permitted, or unknown.
  • Conditions that apply when activity is limited.
  • Regulation names and source URLs for review.

Regulatory Context​

Protected area records include source traceability and regulatory context where available. This helps compliance, legal, and sustainability teams understand not only whether a plot overlaps a protected area, but also what restrictions or source regulations support the result.

Standalone API Usage​

Protected Areas can be used without running a full EUDR analysis. API users can submit registered plot IDs, raw GeoJSON geometries, or both, and receive a single GeoJSON FeatureCollection with the overlap results.

Use the API Reference for complete request and response schemas.

Coverage​

Protected area coverage is broad and expanding, with a focus on regions relevant to environmental due diligence, commodity traceability, and sustainability workflows. Coverage and data quality can vary by country and source dataset.

Current coverage includes 100+ countries across Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, and Oceania. Datasets are normalized so analysis results can include the protected area name, local name, type, source, regulatory attributes, and the most restrictive extractive-activity legality value where that metadata is available.

Coverage is maintained as a data catalogue and can change as national, regional, and global sources are added or updated. If a workflow depends on a specific country or protected area source, confirm coverage during implementation.

For country-level availability, open the Protected Areas Coverage page.