Log in

You will be redirected to IUCN Accounts to input your credentials. After log in you will be redirected back to this site.

Rest assured your personal data resides with IUCN and IUCN only. For more information please review our Data policy.

WCC 2020 Res 081 - Activity Report

Submitted by Andrew.PLUMPTRE on Thu, 10/31/2024 - 10:00
General Information
Strengthening national spatial planning to ensure the global persistence of biodiversity
IUCN Constituent: 
BirdLife International
IUCN Constituent type: 
IUCN Member
Period covered: 
2024
Geographic scope: 
Global
In implementing this Resolution your organization has worked/consulted with...
IUCN Members: 
World Wide Fund for Nature - International ( WWF ) / Switzerland
BirdLife International / United Kingdom
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds ( RSPB ) / United Kingdom
Conservation International ( CI ) / United States of America
Wildlife Conservation Society ( WCS ) / United States of America
NatureServe / United States of America
Re:wild / United States of America
Rainforest Trust / United States of America
IUCN Commissions: 
IUCN Species Survival Commission 2021-2025 (SSC)
IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas 2021-2025 (WCPA)
IUCN Secretariat: 
Yes
Other non-IUCN related organisations: 
American Bird Conservancy, Amphibian Survival Alliance, Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund
Implementation
Indicate and briefly describe any actions that have been carried out to implement this Resolution: 
ActionDescriptionStatus
Education/Communication/Raising awarenessKBA Partners have advocated around the relevance of KBAs to Target 1 of the Global Biodiversity Framework in many press releases, blogs, and social media. Examples include: https://iucn.org/crossroads-blog/202401/we-must-conserve-right-places-halt-extinction-and-reduce-biodiversity-loss; https://www.keybiodiversityareas.org/kba-news/Improving-national-spatial-planning-for-the-conservation-of-biodiversity; https://www.keybiodiversityareas.org/kba-news/Areas-of-importance-for-biodiversity. They have also advocated for 30x30 planning including supporting the High Ambition Coalition of governments. On-going
Policy influencing/advocacyKBA Partners successfully advocated for language in Target 1 of the Global Biodiversity Framework that encouraged development of national biodiversity-inclusive spatial plans that incorporated 'areas of particular importance for biodiversity' and 'connectivity'Completed
Policy influencing/advocacyKBA Partners worked to get an indicator in the Global Biodiversity Framework that was 'The number of national spatial plans incorporating KBAs and connectivity'. This was added as a complementary indicator to the GBF Monitoring Framework in December 2022. Sadly it has been subsequently dropped by the AHTEG group because it wasn't currently being measured. We have evaluated country NBSAPs in 2021 to assess how spatial plans were developed at that time and plan to evaluate incoming NBSAPs that now reference the GBF targets and goals in 2025 to assess how spatial planning has been updated and revised, cataloguing what is planned for the future to assess the incorporation of KBAs and connectivity in plans. On-going
Scientific/technical activitiesTwo papers were published showing the value of integrating Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) in Systematic Conservation Planning (SCP) - Plumptre et al. 2024. The strengths and complementarity of Systematic Conservation Planning and Key Biodiversity Area approaches for spatial planning. Conservation Biology, e14400; and how to define 'Areas of Importance for Biodiversity' - Plumptre et al. 2024.Targeting site conservation to increase the effectiveness of new global biodiversity targets, One Earth, 7, 11-17. The first paper shows some of the issues with how SCP is used to date and how an assessment of KBAs can complement and strengthen plans that use SCP approaches. The second paper evaluates various approaches to defining important sites and concludes that the KBA approach encompasses most of the ideas behind other approaches, is valuable because quantitative criteria make the identification of sites of particular importance for biodiversity objective, repeatable, and comparable around the world, and the breadth of conservation objectives covered mean that the approach is more encompassing. It suggests that harnessing the KBA criteria such that areas of particular importance for biodiversity are defined as: sites that contain significant populations/extents of threatened or geographically restricted species or ecosystems, or that have significant ecological integrity or irreplaceability, significance for the maintenance of biological processes, or provide significant ecological connectivity to maintain populations of species.Completed
Please report on the result /achievement of the actions taken: 
To date eleven countries have made relatively comprehensive assessments of their KBAs. These are all being used to support national spatial planning for 30 x 30, OECM identification and development of spatial plans to meet Target 1 of the GBF. Mozambique has incorporated KBAs in their National Territorial Plan. KBA identification has been incorporated in several country NBSAPs and we will be identifying how many when they are mostly updated. The Philippines is using KBAs to guide its 30 x30 planning. Greece has legislated that KBAs will be used to guide its 30 x 30 planning. 33 countries have already established KBA National Coordination Groups with about 40 more looking to do so in the future if funding can be found.
What challenges have you encountered in implementing this Resolution and what measures have you taken to overcome them?: 
The main challenge has been lack of funding for countries to assess their KBAs and make spatial plans. KBA Partners have been supporting countries to seek funding to do so. Sometimes there has been a reluctance to identify KBAs because of other national approaches but these have been overcome by presenting evidence of the value of KBAs.
Identify and briefly describe what future actions are planned for the implementation of this Resolution: 
Future ActionDescription
Convene stakeholders/NetworkingKBA partners will work with governments and their conservation and scientific communities to make comprehensive assessments of their KBAs and relevant spatial connectivity and incorporate them in national spatial plans, funding permitting.
FundraisingKBA Partners will continue working with national governments and conservation NGOs to help identify resources to undertake KBA assessments and national spatial plans
Additional Information
Upload document: 
PDF icon Plumptre et al 2024 Areas of Importance for Biodiversity.pdf
External link(s): 
KBAs and systematic conservation planning
Conserving the right places to achieve the Global Biodiversity Framework
Paper on integrating KBAs in SCP approaches