Key Biodiversity Area

• Develop technical and conservation capacity within individual countries and on a global scale
• Develop partnerships between key organizations – both governmental and nongovernmental – concerned with site conservation
• Build broad understanding of the process, and broad ownership of the final site list
• Focus any new survey work on the most important gaps in knowledgeEken, Güven et al. Key biodiversity areas: Identifying the world's priority sites for conservation – lessons learned from Turkey The Gaps Guide: [http://www.protectedareas.info/upload/document http://www.protectedareas.info/upload/document]{{Dead link|date=February 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} Accessed: 28 April 2011

File:Proportion-of-important-sites-for-freshwater-biodiversity-covered-by-protected-areas (OWID 0891).png by country]]

The criteria for what can qualify as a KBA is one or more of the following:

1. Contains a significant number of endangered species relative to the global population; contains ecosystems that are threatened on a global scale
2. Contains species, taxonomic groups, or ecosystems that are confined to small geographic zones
3. Is relatively untouched by human activity
4. Holds congregations of species at important life stages, such as "breeding, feeding or during migration"{{Cite book |url=https://portals.iucn.org/library/node/46259 |title=A global standard for the identification of Key Biodiversity Areas : version 1.0 |date=2016 |publisher=IUCN |isbn=978-2-8317-1835-4 |language=en}} or the spawning of offspring; is a "refuge" where species retreat from temporary negative environmental conditions
5. Has a high level of irreplaceability, or "how close a site is to being essential for achieving conservation targets"

The KBA standard has been applied around the globe to over 16,000 areas with a total 21,000,000 km²,{{Cite web |title=KBA Data |url=https://www.keybiodiversityareas.org/kba-data |access-date=2024-04-08 |website=www.keybiodiversityareas.org}} which can be viewed in map form.{{Cite web |title=Map Search |url=https://www.keybiodiversityareas.org/sites/search |access-date=2024-04-08 |website=www.keybiodiversityareas.org}} It is used by scientists to assess fragmentation and habitat loss in vulnerable areas,{{Cite journal |last1=Kullberg |first1=Peter |last2=Di Minin |first2=Enrico |last3=Moilanen |first3=Atte |date=2019-10-01 |title=Using key biodiversity areas to guide effective expansion of the global protected area network |journal=Global Ecology and Conservation |volume=20 |pages=e00768 |doi=10.1016/j.gecco.2019.e00768 |issn=2351-9894|doi-access=free |bibcode=2019GEcoC..2000768K }}{{Cite journal |last1=Simkins |first1=Ashley T. |last2=Beresford |first2=Alison E. |last3=Buchanan |first3=Graeme M. |last4=Crowe |first4=Olivia |last5=Elliott |first5=Wendy |last6=Izquierdo |first6=Pablo |last7=Patterson |first7=David J. |last8=Butchart |first8=Stuart H. M. |date=2023-05-01 |title=A global assessment of the prevalence of current and potential future infrastructure in Key Biodiversity Areas |journal=Biological Conservation |volume=281 |pages=109953 |doi=10.1016/j.biocon.2023.109953 |issn=0006-3207|doi-access=free |bibcode=2023BCons.28109953S }}{{Cite journal |last1=Crowe |first1=Olivia |last2=Beresford |first2=Alison E. |last3=Buchanan |first3=Graeme M. |last4=Grantham |first4=Hedley S. |last5=Simkins |first5=Ashley T. |last6=Watson |first6=James E. M. |last7=Butchart |first7=Stuart H. M. |date=2023-10-01 |title=A global assessment of forest integrity within Key Biodiversity Areas |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006320723003944 |journal=Biological Conservation |volume=286 |pages=110293 |doi=10.1016/j.biocon.2023.110293 |bibcode=2023BCons.28610293C |issn=0006-3207|url-access=subscription }}{{Cite journal |last1=Yang |first1=Runjia |last2=Dong |first2=Xinyu |last3=Xu |first3=Suchen |last4=Wang |first4=Kechao |last5=Li |first5=Xiaoya |last6=Xiao |first6=Wu |last7=Ye |first7=Yanmei |date=2024-02-01 |title=Fragmentation of Key Biodiversity Areas highlights attention to human disturbance patterns |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006320723005293 |journal=Biological Conservation |volume=290 |pages=110428 |doi=10.1016/j.biocon.2023.110428 |bibcode=2024BCons.29010428Y |issn=0006-3207|url-access=subscription }} and is generally seen as an effective method of identifying areas in need of protection.{{Cite journal |last1=Maxwell |first1=Jessica |last2=Allen |first2=Simon |last3=Brooks |first3=Thomas |last4=Cuttelod |first4=Annabelle |last5=Dudley |first5=Nigel |last6=Fisher |first6=Janet |last7=Langhammer |first7=Penny |last8=Patenaude |first8=Genevieve |last9=Woodley |first9=Stephen |date=2018-11-01 |title=Engaging end-users to inform the development of the global standard for the identification of key biodiversity areas |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1462901118302922 |journal=Environmental Science & Policy |volume=89 |pages=273–282 |doi=10.1016/j.envsci.2018.07.019 |bibcode=2018ESPol..89..273M |issn=1462-9011|hdl=20.500.11820/87a6cf7b-ae58-4001-ae4d-03ddd5f139dd |hdl-access=free }}

Some criticism involves the scale of KBAs, such as the use of global data to set parameters for single regions or ecosystems, as well as the lack of involvement of local governments and other authorities- especially in developing countries- in their implementation.Andrew T. Knight, Robert J. Smith, Richard M. Cowling, Philip G. Desmet, Daniel P. Faith, Simon Ferrier, Caroline M. Gelderblom, Hedley Grantham, Amanda T. Lombard, Kristal Maze, Jeanne L. Nel, Jeffrey D. Parrish, Genevieve Q. K. Pence, Hugh P. Possingham, Belinda Reyers, Mathieu Rouget, Dirk Roux, Kerrie A. Wilson, Improving the Key Biodiversity Areas Approach for Effective Conservation Planning, BioScience, Volume 57, Issue 3, March 2007, Pages 256–261, https://doi.org/10.1641/B570309 Other issues raised include the defining of conservation strictly in terms of location, and the naming of single species as important to the environment rather than the interconnectivity between species and doesn't prioritize areas that are dense in biological diversity.{{Cite journal |last1=Farooq |first1=Harith |last2=Antonelli |first2=Alexandre |last3=Faurby |first3=Søren |date=2023-01-01 |title=A call for improving the Key Biodiversity Areas framework |journal=Perspectives in Ecology and Conservation |volume=21 |issue=1 |pages=85–91 |doi=10.1016/j.pecon.2023.02.002 |issn=2530-0644|doi-access=free |bibcode=2023PEcoC..21...85F }} Some argue, however, that KBAs are meant to be a "focused response to a central problem in conservation"{{cite journal | url=https://doi.org/10.1641/B570816 | doi=10.1641/B570816 | title=Clarifying the Key Biodiversity Areas Approach | date=2007 | last1=Bennun | first1=Leon | last2=Bakarr | first2=Mohamed | last3=Eken | first3=Güven | last4=Da Fonseca | first4=Gustavo A. B. | journal=BioScience | volume=57 | issue=8 | page=645 }} rather than a catch-all solution. Criteria may also be too broad, as one analysis found that between 26% and 68% of all terrestrial land on Earth could be classified as a KBA.

• Conservation biology
• Ecoregions
• Biodiversity
• Crisis Ecoregions
• High conservation value area
• High-Biodiversity Wilderness Areas
• Biodiversity Hotspots
• Biosphere Reserves
• Site-based conservation
• Protected Areas

• [http://www.biodiversitya-z.org/areas/22 A-Z of Areas of Biodiversity Importance: Key Biodiversity Areas (KBA)]

Category:Biodiversity

Category:Ecoregions