Overview

Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) are 'sites contributing significantly to the global persistence of biodiversity’, in terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystems. Data on the KBAs are managed in the World Database on Key Biodiversity Areas (WDKBAs). For further details, see www.keybiodiversityareas.org.

Methodology

Sites qualify as global KBAs if they meet one or more of 11 criteria, clustered into five categories: A - threatened biodiversity; B - geographically restricted biodiversity; C- ecological integrity; D - biological processes; and, E - irreplaceability. The KBA criteria can be applied to species and ecosystems in terrestrial, inland water and marine environments. Although not all KBA criteria may be relevant to all elements of biodiversity, the thresholds associated with each of the criteria may be applied across all taxonomic groups (not micro-organisms) and ecosystems.

The different criteria address different ways in which sites contribute significantly to the global persistence of biodiversity. Sites are assessed against all relevant criteria for which data are available and those, which meet the thresholds under one of the criteria or sub-criteria sufficient for the site, become recognised as KBAs.

Visit KBA website and learn about how KBAs are identified.

For the full documentation, please click here