The Half-Earth Project National Report Card

Innovative tools visualize how well one country does as protecting its species.

The entire global population of species needs protection: animals, insects, every organism–in every part of the planet. The science of the Half-Earth Project brings together a range of partners that span the globe, so that together we can identify the best habitats for place-based conservation. National Report Cards, distilled from data on the Half-Earth Project Map, can drive action.

Solving planetary problems requires a planetary solution — and every part of society has to work together to make it happen. Conservation also advances at the ground level, and local progress informs future decisions. The National Report Cards, released in 2020 and updated annually, have reached thousands of people via the Half-Earth Project Map. Our new website features a summary of each country’s report card, and users can explore and compare countries at a basic level. Report cards also direct advanced users to the map, where detailed analysis tools include both a Species Protection Index Score and a Marine Species Protection Index Score, visualizations that track progress over time, and other data filters. Map users can create a custom analysis of their area of interest to reveal terrestrial vertebrate species, species range, protection status, and human pressures.

“Once you know how well a country is doing to protect its species, analysis helps you to dive further into smaller areas and the actual species habitat you’re concerned with–which of course doesn’t follow borders.”

Yanina Sica, Data Manager, Map of Life, Yale University.

Impact

Conservation managers, planners, and educators can explore over 200 National Report Cards.

The Half-Earth Project Map aggregates data to visualize biodiversity in an area of interest, with scale from 1000 to 35,000 sq.km. The new irrecoverable carbon layer aligns habitat protection with climate change goals by preventing the release of additional CO2.

Data Sources: Half-Earth Project Map – E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation (Mar 2022), Map of Life – Yale University (Mar 2022), World Database on Protected Areas (Jun 2021), World Database on Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures (Jun 2021)

What's Next

New collaborations in Guinea, Libreria, Costa Rica, and Ecuador are powering the re-launch of Places for a Half-Earth Future. These are areas of extraordinary species richness or rarity, largely unprotected, with communities pursuing conservation and scientific activities contributing to a Half-Earth future.

The Half-Earth Project National Report Card

Innovative tools visualize how well one country does as protecting its species.

Impact

What's Next

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