We LOOOOVE Mapping Marine Life!

World Database on Protected Marine Areas

As you probably have figured out by now, we LOOOOVE mapping marine life.  That's why today we bring you yet another cool way to use maps when researching aquatic life on earth.  A lot of times, we like what Google Maps Mania digs up. For example, take a close look at World Database on Marine Protected Areas.

Did you know that only 0.7 of the world's oceans are protected? The WDPA-Marine wants to provide the most comprehensive set of marine protected areas (MPAs) data available. Part of this effort involves a very cool Google Maps mashup that provides information about the less that 1% of protected ocean.

The map uses shaded polygons to highlight protected ocean areas. For each protected area it is possible to select a number of layers showing coral, mangrove, seagrass and saltmarsh locations. The map also includes layers to display Wikipedia articles, photographs and videos of the selected protected area.

Do you have a map that you'd like to share with us?  We'd love to hear about it!