Area Classification

Taxonomy

The classification system used to organize areas across governance types while preserving country-specific designations.

Across the Amazon, areas are defined through diverse legal, institutional, and customary systems, and each country brings its own terminology, categories, and designation frameworks. The Atlas taxonomy is the structure that makes those systems comparable without erasing what makes them distinct.

Why Taxonomy Matters

Without a shared classification, similar areas end up defined differently in different countries, governance systems get grouped inaccurately, and comparison across regions becomes guesswork. The taxonomy provides the common structure that lets areas be organized, compared, and analyzed as one dataset.

Structure

The taxonomy is hierarchical, with three levels.

Area Type

The highest level classification. Defines whether an area is a Protected & Conserved Area (PCA) or a Collective Land.

Area Class

Groups areas into broader governance categories, such as Protected Areas, OECMs, Conservation Instruments, Indigenous Territories, or Community Lands.

Area Designation

The specific country-level designation used in practice, such as Parque Nacional, Territorio Indígena, or Reserva de Biosfera.

Step 3 of 0

Governance-based Classification

Crucially, the taxonomy is organized around governance systems rather than ecological characteristics. That reflects a core premise of the Atlas: an area's ecology tells you what is there, but its governance tells you how it functions and what outcomes it is likely to produce. Classifying by governance therefore supports more meaningful comparison.

Preserving Specificity

Standardizing the structure does not mean replacing local definitions. Country-specific designations are preserved, original terminology is kept intact, and classification never overrides legal or cultural meaning. The system is designed to be comparable and contextually accurate at the same time.

Linking Taxonomy and Data

The taxonomy defines how an area is classified, but not everything about it. The rest is carried in metadata — governance structures and actors, designation status and history, ecological and functional roles, and the assessments and indicators attached to the area. Taxonomy and metadata together give the full picture; see Core metadata for how the two connect.