What are KBAs?
Key Biodiversity Areas (KBA) are ‘sites contributing significantly to the global persistence of biodiversity’, in terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystems. They can also be defined as tools that help identification and conservation of a global network of natural areas crucial to sustain the world’s ecological diversity (Langhammer et al. 2007). KBAs are selected using globally applicable standard criteria, which inform conservation targets for ecological networks and the selection of protected areas (Eken et al. 2004). Furthermore, KBAs raise attractive possibilities for being core areas where ecologically responsible land use models can be demonstrated, building on scientific and indigenous knowledge (Foster et al. 2012).
The initial KBA methodology uses four site selection criteria, based on the presence of species for which site-scale conservation is appropriate (trigger species): (1) globally threatened species; (2) restricted-range species; (3) congregations of species that concentrate at particular sites during some stage in their life cycle and; (4) biome-restricted species assemblages (Langhammer et al. 2007). The KBA methodology uses a bottom-up, iterative process, involving local stakeholders, to maximize the usefulness and the potential of the resulting priorities (Langhammer et al. 2007).
The IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas and Species Survival Commission Joint Task Force on Biodiversity and Protected Areas adopted the KBA method as a framework for a global site selection standard built on other methods for selecting important biodiversity areas (IUCN 2016). Following this, the new KBA Standard of IUCN is developed building on in the initial KBA methodology (Eken et al. 2004) and other approaches for site selection (IUCN 2016).
According to the new KBA Standard of IUCN, sites qualify as global KBAs if they meet one or more of 11 criteria, clustered into five categories: threatened biodiversity; geographically restricted biodiversity; ecological integrity; biological processes; and, irreplaceability. Although anyone with appropriate scientific data may propose a site to qualify as a KBA, consultation with stakeholders at the national level (both non-governmental and governmental organizations) is required during the proposal process. KBA identification should build off the existing network of KBAs (including Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas and Alliance for Zero Extinction sites) and new data should seek to strengthen and expand the network of these sites. Any site proposal must undergo independent scientific review.
KBA identification processes are now underway in many regions around the world. Eighty countries completed multi-taxon KBA assessments and 73 are in progress, some covering also freshwater and marine realms such as Africa, continental Europe and the Indo-Burma Biodiversity Hotspot for freshwater; and Philippines, Melanesia, Polynesia-Micronesia, and the Eastern Tropical Pacific for the marine realm (Foster et al. 2012). Turkey is among the first countries where a nation-wide multi-taxon KBA assessment has been completed (Eken et al. 2006).
References
Eken G, Bennun L, Brooks TM, Darwall W, Fishpool LDC, Foster M, Knox D, Langhammer P, Matiku P, Radford E, et al. 2004. Key biodiversity areas as site conservation targets. Bioscience. 54:1110.
Eken G, Bozdoğan M, İsfendiyaroğlu S, Kılıç DT, Lise Y. 2006. Key biodiversity areas of Turkey. Ankara: Kitap Yayınevi.
Foster MN, Brooks TM, Cuttelod A, De Silva N, Fishpool LDC, Radford EA, Woodley S. 2012. The identification of sites of biodiversity conservation significance: progress with the application of a global standard. J Threatened Taxa. 4(8):2733–2744.
Langhammer PF, Bakarr MI, Bennun LA, Brooks TM, Clay RP, Darwall W, Silva ND, Edgar GJ, Fishpool LDC, Foster MN, et al. 2007. Identification and gap analysis of key biodiversity areas. Gland (Switzerland): IUCN.
IUCN. 2016. A global standard for the identification of key biodiversity areas. Version 1.0. 1st ed. Gland (Switzerland): IUCN.