Key Biodiversity Areas (KBA) are geographical regions that have been determined to be of international importance in terms of biodiversity conservation, using globally standardized criteria published by the IUCN as part of a collaboration between scientists, conservation groups, and government bodies across the world.[1] The purpose of Key Biodiversity Areas is to identify regions that are in need of protection by governments or other agencies.[1] KBAs extend the Important Bird Area (IBA) concept to other taxonomic groups and are now being identified in many parts of the world. Examples of types of KBAs include Important Plant Areas (IPAs), Ecologically and Biologically Significant Areas (EBSAs) in the High Seas, Alliance for Zero Extinction (AZE) sites, Prime Butterfly Areas, Important Mammal Areas and Important Sites for Freshwater Biodiversity, with prototype criteria developed for freshwater molluscs and fish and for marine systems. The determination of KBAs often brings sites onto the conservation agenda that hadn't previously been identified as needing protection due to the nature of the two non-exclusive criteria used to determine them; vulnerability; and irreplaceability.[2]
The KBA global standard [3] was published in 2016.
The criteria for what can qualify as a KBA is one or more of the following:
The KBA standard has been applied around the globe to over 16,000 areas with a total 21,000,000 km2,[6] which can be viewed in map form.[7] It is used by scientists to assess fragmentation and habitat loss in vulnerable areas,[8][9][10][11] and is generally seen as an effective method of identifying areas in need of protection.[12]
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.[13] 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[13] and doesn't prioritize areas that are dense in biological diversity.[14] Some argue, however, that KBAs are meant to be a "focused response to a central problem in conservation"[15] 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.[14]
