Protected areas of South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland

The layer of South African protected areas was compiled using data from different sources. Those were provincial conservation agencies, South African National Parks (SANPARKS), Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, and other organisations. Recent data on protected areas for each province was derived separately from these different sources. The data from the nine provinces of South Africa was then combined together to form a layer of protected areas. Names of protected areas used in each province were standardised. Protected areas were further classified into 3 types. Type 1 protected areas includes National Parks, Nature Reserves, Provincial Nature Reserves, Local Authority Nature Reserves and DWAF Forest Nature Reserves. Type 2 protected areas includes the Catchment Areas, Wildlife Management Area, Private Nature Reserves, National Heritage Sites, SANDF property, Bird Sanctuary, Botanical Garden, State Land, Mountain Catchment Area, DWAF Forest Area. Type 3 protected areas include Game Farms, Other Conservation Areas, and Game Reserves.