WCMC examines the status and location of many different habitats and identifies the key conservation issues regarding them. Our studies provide assessments of habitat protection, and guidance on prioritising conservation action from global and national perspectives. Main programme areas include forests, freshwater, and marine habitats, although work is developing on desert and tundra areas as well as other defined habitats.

WCMC maintains a large collection of data including spatial datasets concerning habitat conservation. Most of our information is freely available through our web site; for example the statistical analyses from our forest CD-ROMs.