Marine Protected Area Shapefiles - EU and non-EU MPAs

Source of the input shapefiles :Aminian-Biquet et al. (2024) Regulations of activities and protection levels in marine protected areas of the European Union: A dataset compiled from multiple data sources. DOI : 10.1016/j.dib.2024.111177 Sim Elsa (2025) Regulations of Human Activities & Protection Levels in Marine Protected Areas of the United Kingdom. Master thesis. Faculty of Biosciences and Aquaculture, Biodiversity and Biogeography, Nord University. Available at https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.29901479 WDPA database : UNEP-WCMC and IUCN (2025), Protected Planet: The World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA) [On-line], December, 2025, Cambridge, UK: UNEP-WCMC and IUCN. Available at: www.protectedplanet.net. Output dataset used in WP4 of the EU B-USEFUL project: https://b-useful.eu/Outputs are merged MPA shapefiles for key areas (Mediterranean Sea, NE Atlantic including UK, Baltic Sea and Black Sea).Where spatial units overlapped and multiple protection levels applied to the same area, the highest level of protection was retained, following the hierarchy: unclassified < incompatible < minimally protected < lightly protected < highly protected < fully protected.