IBAT and Meridia
About IBAT
IBAT (Integrated Biodiversity Assessment Tool) provides access to the world’s most authoritative biodiversity data, delivering trusted protected area and conservation information for regulatory compliance, risk screening, and sustainability reporting.
IBAT offers commercial access to several authoritative datasets including the World Database on Protected and Conserved Areas (WDPCA).The WDPCA is the most comprehensive global database on terrestrial, inland water, coastal and marine protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures (OECMs). Data for the WDPCA is collected from international convention secretariats, governments, non-state actors and collaborating non-governmental organisations.
How Meridia works with IBAT
Meridia integrates IBAT’s authoritative protected area dataset directly into Verify to ground protected area screening in globally recognised, government-verified data.
By combining IBAT’s world-class protected areas data with Meridia’s legal interpretation, land-use research, and compliance logic, clients gain a clear, operational view of how protected areas translate into real-world sourcing and regulatory outcomes. This approach reflects not only where protected areas are mapped, but how they are governed and what activities they legally permit, based on local research and expert input.
With the integration of IBAT’s authoritative data, Meridia delivers protected area risk assessments that are legally grounded, auditable, and aligned with regulatory frameworks such as EUDR.
Key customer benefits
1. Regulatory-grade, government-verified data
Your protected area and biodiversity assessments are built on validated data sourced directly from national governments and international conservation organisations , with robust data governance and regular updates for enterprise grade quality. This ensures credibility with regulators, auditors, and stakeholders.
2. Transparent and audit-ready compliance
By aligning your internal compliance systems with IBAT’s licensed data foundation, you avoid disputes over data sources and methodology. This creates a clear, traceable, and defensible audit trail for EUDR and broader environmental due diligence requirements.
3. Actionable risk intelligence
IBAT shows where protected areas are. Meridia shows what they mean for your operations. By combining baseline protected areas data with legal context, land-use research, additional data, and compliance logic, Meridia turns geospatial data into practical decisions for sourcing, supplier engagement, and risk mitigation.
IBAT was founded by an alliance of four of the world’s most influential conservation organisations - BirdLife International, Conservation International, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and United Nations Environment Programme - World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC).