Hawaii, 3 September 2016: Today, 11 of the world’s leading conservation organisations announced an ambitious new partnership to
identify, map, monitor and conserve Key Biodiversity Areas (KBA) – places that include vital habitats for threatened species – with more than US$15 million committed over the next five years.
The announcement was made at the IUCN World Conservation Congress currently taking place in Hawaiʻi, USA.
Through
the KBA Partnership, resources and expertise will be mobilised to
further identify and map Key Biodiversity Areas worldwide. Monitoring of
these sites will
enable detection of potential threats and identification of appropriate
conservation actions. The Partnership will also advise national
governments in expanding their protected areas network, and will work
with private companies to ensure they minimize and
mitigate their impact on nature.
“This is a vitally important initiative for our planet’s biodiversity,”
says Braulio Ferreira de Souza Dias, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity. “This partnership
will enhance global
conservation efforts by highlighting internationally important sites in
need of urgent conservation action. It will also help us reach the
targets in the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity and allow national
governments and conservation
organisations to ensure that scarce resources are directed to the most
important places for nature.”
The
International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has engaged with
hundreds of experts and decision-makers to develop a Global Standard for
the Identification
of Key Biodiversity Areas. The Standard will also be launched during
the World Conservation Congress, on Monday 5 September.
“Our planet is at the crossroads and we need to take urgent action if we want to secure its ability to support us,” says
Inger Andersen, Director General of IUCN. “Information
about where and why a site is considered key for the survival of
threatened species underpins all sustainable development and will be
critical for achieving Sustainable Development Goals.”
In
particular, knowledge about Key Biodiversity Areas will contribute to
the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 14 – on the conservation
and sustainable
use the oceans - and Goal 15 – to manage forests, combat
desertification, and halt land degradation
The KBA Partnership
builds on the partners’ established track record in site identification,
monitoring and conservation. Over the past four decades, BirdLife
International has identified
more than 13,000 Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBAs) on land
and at sea in every region of the world through its 120 national
partners and others, while the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund has
supported the identification of 6,000 Key Biodiversity
Areas within global biodiversity hotspots.
To
date, more than 18,000 global and regional Key Biodiversity Areas have
been identified and mapped. These include Ujung Kulon National Park in
Indonesia – where the last known population
of the Critically Endangered Javan rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sondaicus) lives – and the Molokai Island marine area in Hawaiʻi – home to the Critically Endangered coral
Porites pukoensis, known only to occur in the shallow waters of this site.
The new
Partnership will unite these efforts under a single KBA umbrella. It
will expand the KBA network to cover other species and ecosystems using
the global KBA standard. These data will guide decision-makers
on areas that require safeguarding and will help a range of end users
to define their conservation priorities, achieve their international
commitments, and comply with their environmental policies.
KBA Partners are the
Amphibian Survival Alliance, BirdLife International, Conservation
International, Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund, Global Environment
Facility, Global Wildlife Conservation,
International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), NatureServe,
RSPB, Wildlife Conservation Society and the World Wildlife Fund.
“Advancing and implementing successful conservation solutions depends on clearly identified global strategies,”
says Naoko Ishii,
Global Environment Facility CEO. “In this regard, we are proud to be one of the founding members of
this exciting new partnership to help map and protect some of the planet's most valuable biodiversity.”
####
EDITORS NOTES:
KBA Partner Quotes
Helen Meredith, Executive Director, Amphibian Survival Alliance
"Habitat destruction
is the greatest threat to amphibians globally, so the Amphibian
Survival Alliance is hugely supportive of the KBA Partnership as a means
of identifying and safeguarding
crucial locations for threatened amphibians around the world".
Patricia Zurita,
BirdLife International
“To
prevent species extinctions and maintain the diversity of life on
earth, it is essential that decision makers are equipped with data and
knowledge on the most important places for nature.
Over the past 40 years, BirdLife’s network of 120 national conservation
organisations has systematically mapped and conserved thousands of
vital sites for birds, providing a strong foundation for the success of
the KBA Partnership. We fully embrace our role
in managing KBA data on behalf of the KBA Partnership to inform
targeted conservation action at these sites. ”
M. Sanjayan,
Conservation International
“The
nature that people around the world rely on for food, freshwater and
livelihoods has its foundation in biodiversity. The KBA partnership is a
strategy for setting priorities around
the nature we must protect to conserve biodiversity as well as vital
ecosystem services and natural capital, the very bedrock that moves our
world forward. Conservation International is honoured to be part of such
an innovative group and committed to protecting
these crucial areas.”
Olivier Langrand, Executive Director, Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund
“CEPF
is proud to be part of the conservation community promoting KBA as a
global standard to effectively conserve biodiversity.
The KBA approach guarantees that the most valuable biodiversity areas
are registered, and conservation is implemented and monitored for the
benefit of nature and human well-being.”
Wes Sechrest, chief scientist and CEO, Global Wildlife Conservation.
"Humankind
is at a critical point in our efforts to protect the diversity of life
on our planet, both for its own sake
and for the long-term health and well-being of humans. The KBA
initiative will, for the first time ever, quantitatively measure and map
where the most important areas are for maintaining biodiversity on
Earth.
These
are the kinds of ambitious efforts that preserve our vital connections
to wildlife and wild places, including those connections that we have
yet to fully understand.”
Leslie Honey, Vice President for Conservation Services for NatureServe,
“The NatureServe
Network is thrilled to contribute our biodiversity data and expertise to
the KBA partnership. The partnership’s collective ability to work with
stakeholders to identify,
map, and monitor these sites provides an important bridge between
knowledge and action, helping decision-makers and stakeholders conserve
the most important places for life on earth”
Tim Stowe,
International Director, RSPB
“For
more than two decades, the RSPB has been working with BirdLife
International Partners around the world to identify, document and
protect Important Birds and Biodiversity Areas (IBA).
We are delighted that the IBA concept has broadened to become KBAs,
eventually covering all taxa, and we will play our part in giving nature
a home in the world's the most important places for biodiversity."
John Robinson, Chief Conservation Officer, Wildlife Conservation Society
"It
will take a collective effort to identify where biological diversity is
found around the world, and a collective effort to protect those
places. WCS will be a long term part of that
effort."
Marco Lambertini,
Director General of WWF International
“All
life on Earth, including us, depends on a healthy planet, yet
biodiversity is falling sharply - in less than two generations,
vertebrate populations worldwide have declined by half.
By working together to identify and conserve the world’s most vital
natural places, we can benefit both people and nature. KBAs will offer
an invaluable tool for good planning and development, ensuring respect
for the natural infrastructure that supports our
society, economy and wellbeing.”
About Key Biodiversity Areas
What is the KBA Partnership?
The
KBA Partnership is a collaboration of eleven of the world’s leading
nature conservation organizations that will be coordinating the process
to identify,
document, update and monitor Key Biodiversity Areas, and to promote
their effective management and adequate safeguarding. The Partnership
will develop and maintain the global list of KBAs and publish and
promote it through the
World Database of Key Biodiversity AreasTM.
What are KBAs?
KBAs
are sites contributing significantly to the global persistence of
biodiversity, including vital habitat for threatened plant and animal
species
in terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystems. They are identified
using A Global Standard for the identification of Key Biodiversity Areas
(IUCN 2016). The KBA Standard establishes a consultative, science-based
process for KBA identification, founded
on the consistent application of global criteria with quantitative
thresholds. It sets out criteria for the identification of KBAs,
clustered into five categories: threatened biodiversity; geographically
restricted biodiversity; ecological integrity; biological
processes; and, irreplaceability.
How KBAs relate to other important sites for biodiversity?
The
KBA concept builds on BirdLife International´s approach to identifying
Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas, as well as the Alliance for Zero
Extinction
initiative and related approaches. The KBA Standard aims to harmonize
such existing approaches to the identification of important sites for
biodiversity to provide a unified list of sites for decision-makers,
stakeholders and the conservation community. Approximately
two-thirds of the c.13,000 existing IBAs and all 587 Alliance for Zero
Extinction Sites qualify as global KBAs, while the remainder qualify as
regional KBAs. It is likely that most other important sites (such as
those identified through the Critical Ecosystem
Partnership Fund) will also be found to qualify as global KBAs.
What is the vision of the KBA Partnership?
A
comprehensive network of sites that contribute significantly to the
global persistence of biodiversity is appropriately identified,
correctly documented,
effectively managed, sufficiently resourced and adequately safeguarded.
What is the purpose of the KBA Partnership?
To
implement a programme to develop and maintain an up-to-date, fully
documented list of sites identified against the KBA Standard, and to
communicate,
promote and position this information to enable the achievement of the
KBA vision.
How do KBAs relate to national and international conservation commitments?
Identification
of Key Biodiversity Areas will guide countries in setting up their
national priorities. It will also support them
to achieve their international commitments. For example, KBAs are an
important element of Aichi Biodiversity Target 11, namely to effectively
conserve “areas important of particular importance for biodiversity and
ecosystem services”. The information in also
useful for the achievement of other related Aichi Targets. Parties to
the CBD and other Conventions committed to the Aichi Biodiversity
Targets in 2011, to deliver the 20 outcome orientated Targets by 2020.
Sites identified as KBAs may be prioritised for site-based
conservation activities (such as the establishment of protected areas
or other effective areas-based conservation measures)
The
identification of KBAs will also help with the achievement of
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), such as SDG 14 (on the
conservation and sustainable
use of marine resources) and SDG 15, (protection, restoration and
sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems).
The
KBA Partners engage actively and constructively with public and private
sector policy makers to promote conservation and the sustainable and
equitable
management of KBAs. Key policy priorities include: targeted expansion
of protected area networks; support for community-based conservation and
private protected areas; guidance on business operations in KBAs; and,
financial institution safeguards for critical
habitats.
How will the KBA Partnership achieve its vision and purpose?
The
KBA Committee is responsible for the governance and strategic direction
of the partnership. The KBA Secretariat will coordinate the partnership
and ensure the delivery and promotion of the World Database of Key
Biodiversity AreasTM, which will be managed by BirdLife International on
behalf of the KBA Partnership.
The
KBA Community will provide a platform for collaboration and exchange
between experts and organizations involved in KBA identification, review
and
monitoring.
The
KBA Consultative Forum will inform the development of the initiative to
meet the information needs of end users, including researchers,
governments
and businesses.
The
KBA Standards and Appeals Committee (SAC) seeks to ensure the correct application of
A Global Standard for the identification of Key Biodiversity Areas and handles official disputes regarding the identification of a site as a KBA.
About
IUCN
IUCN
is a membership Union uniquely composed of both government and civil
society organisations. It provides public, private and non-governmental
organisations
with the knowledge and tools that enable human progress, economic
development and nature conservation to take place together. Created in
1948, IUCN is now the world’s largest and most diverse environmental
network, harnessing the knowledge, resources and reach
of more than 1,300 Member organisations and some 16,000 experts. It is a
leading provider of conservation data, assessments and analysis. Its
broad membership enables IUCN to fill the role of incubator and trusted
repository of best practices, tools and international
standards.
IUCN
provides a neutral space in which diverse stakeholders including
governments, NGOs, scientists, businesses, local communities, indigenous
peoples organisations
and others can work together to forge and implement solutions to
environmental challenges and achieve sustainable development.Working
with many partners and supporters, IUCN implements a large and diverse
portfolio of conservation projects worldwide. Combining
the latest science with the traditional knowledge of local communities,
these projects work to reverse habitat loss, restore ecosystems and
improve people’s well-being.
www.iucn.org
https://twitter.com/IUCN/
No comments:
Post a Comment