1oC3Dbk

Setting global standards for the identification of sites of
biodiversity conservation significance (Global standard
for defining and identifying “key biodiversity areas”
developed and adopted)
Following the recommendations resulting from the high-level
“Framing” meeting held in Cambridge in 2012, several
technical workshops have been organized this year:
• The Criteria and Delineation workshop (11–15 March 2013,
Front Royal, USA – 40 participants) was dedicated to define the
criteria of the new KBA standard, building on existing criteria
and to agree on key considerations for delineating KBAs.
• The Threshold workshop (2–5 December 2013, Rome, Italy
– about 30 participants) established thresholds for measures
of biodiversity significance, in other words at defining how
“key” a site needs to be for it to be considered a “Key
Biodiversity Area”.
• The Governance workshop (6–9 November 2013, Brasilia,
Brazil – about 40 participants) focused on the governance
mechanisms of this new standard.
• A Joint Marine Working Group has been created in
collaboration with the Global Ocean Biodiversity Initiative
(GOBI) to strengthen the synergies between the identification
of EBSAs and the KBA process. In particular, Key
Biodiversity Areas could provide a list of potential sites to be
considered for the Ecologically and Biologically Significant
Areas (EBSAs) adopted by the Convention on Biological
Diversity. A workshop was organized during the International
Marine Protected Areas Congress 3 (IMPAC3), in Marseille,
France, on 22 October 2013, to look at marine Key
Biodiversity Areas challenges, in particular with regards to
large mobile marine species.
• Interviews were conducted with various stakeholders and
end-users (such as the World Bank, donors, NGOs,
Indigenous people and local communities, etc.) on their
needs and use of the KBA methodology.
• Finally, regional presentations and consultations have been
organized during existing regional events, such as the
“Biodiversity without Boundaries”, in Baltimore (USA) on 17
April 2013.
The results of these technical workshops will be integrated into
a draft methodology that will be available for comment next
year, before being launched in November 2014 at the World
Parks Congress, Sydney (Australia). A newsletter is sent out
periodically and the website has been updated. For more
information, please contact Annabelle.cuttelod@iucn.org.
utilize the European and Global IUCN Red List data sets. A
number of key publications will be submitted early 2014.
Freshwater Biodiversity Unit, freshwater KBAs: We held
our first two KBA workshops (Bosnia for the Balkans Region;
Morocco for the Northern Africa region) to obtain stakeholder
input to validate sites of proposed freshwater KBAs.
Approximately 150 new sites have been identified. Once
processing is completed these new KBAs will be represented
in the World Biodiversity Database which has now been
modified (under Biofresh) to accept and display freshwater
data sets. Many members of the SSC Specialists Groups
provided excellent input at these workshops.
FBU is also involved in the drafting of the CEPF ecosystem
Profile for the West Africa Guinea Forest Hotspot in
collaboration with IUCN PACO.
Invasive Species Initiative: Criteria for KBAs: ISI is involved in
a process to identify and describe KBAs for the extensive lake
and catchment of Lake Victoria in East Africa and its catchment
in five countries in order to then assess the various levels of
threat to such KBAs from invading species – and then to
develop solutions for their better management of these threats.
At the same time, ISI is assisting the Lake Victoria Basin
Commission to streamline monitoring systems for the allpervading
water hyacinth invasion and also to assess the water
hyacinth extent and impacts across continental African states
(on behalf of UNEP) and to suggest lasting means of
management of this alien water weed – inside and out of KBAs.
Re-introductions (Information and advice service in
place to support species reintroductions)
GSP assisted the Reintroduction Specialist Group in
communicating their work and distributing the new
Reintroduction Guidelines.
Conservation Breeding, and links to ex-situ community
(Advice and facilitation in place to support ex-situ
species recovery programmes)
Dena Cator participated in the CBSG Strategic Committee
Meeting that took place in April. GSP regularly interacts with
the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) which is
Applying IUCN standard for identification of sites of
global biodiversity conservation significance
(Biodiversity conservation action improved through the
application of consolidated standards)
Release of Wood Bison from transport crates – Russia. © IUCN SSC
Reintroduction Specialist Group
Freshwater Biodiversity Unit, BIOFRESH project:
FBU continues to lead Work Package “Informing Policy for
Conservation Planning” providing input to the European
Science Policy Interface relating to: i) Freshwater KBAs as
input to systematic conservation planning for “efficient” site
networks for freshwater species; ii) gap analyses in relation
to Protected Areas; iii) predicted species range shifts under
climate change scenarios, and iv) optimal site networks for
maximising Ecosystem Service provisions. These analyses
16 IUCN species Annual Report 2013