As the winter season approaches, we hope you are still finding ways to enjoy the nature and outdoors near you. Last month’s launch of the new KBA website inspired a lot of interest in KBAs across the country. As one of Canada’s most incredible regions in terms of biodiversity, B.C. will have many KBAs. Read about the seven that have been formally recognized in BC to date, and about how the KBA classification will help drive conservation within this province. Outside of B.C., Manitoba is rarely the first province that comes to mind in terms of exceptional biodiversity, but it’s nonetheless home to many unique species and natural areas. Read about some of the incredible species and sites that will be highlighted by the KBA program in this often underappreciated province here. Elsewhere in Canada, read about some of the formally recognized KBAs in Ontario, Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia, Yukon and elsewhere in this new blog post by KBA Canada Communications Intern, Lina Cordero.
Outside of Canada, more and more countries are beginning to identify KBAs within their borders, including the Republic of the Congo. WCS Canada’s Technical Coordinator for the KBA Canada program, Chloé Débyser, joined the official launch event and multi-day workshop for the Republic of the Congo’s KBA program in October, and was able to present on the approaches and strategies that have made the KBA Canada program so successful in its work to identify KBAs here. As a leader among the national programs identifying KBAs, KBA Canada will continue to play a role in supporting KBA identification on a global stage.
KBA Canada will be showcased in an event at the Canada Pavilion at the UNCBD Conference of the Parties (COP) in Montreal, on December 11. The event will include a panel presentation by KBA Canada partners on various aspects of the collaborative KBA program, as well as short videos highlighting KBAs and their importance in different regions, prepared by partners who will not be present. Reach out to us if you plan to be there and would like to meet with us, or if you are interested in participating in the session. KBA Director at WCS Canada, Ciara Raudsepp-Hearne, will also present the Canadian KBA initiative during a global KBA event in the Nature Positive Pavilion, on December 7 at 3:30pm.
Hosted by Nature Québec, KBA Canada staff from University de Sherbrooke, WCS Canada, and Birds Canada recently gave an information session on the work to identify KBAs and transition IBAs to KBAs across “la belle province”. Watch the webinar here (note that it is mostly in French).
NatureServe Canada’s EBAR project is continuing in full swing, as the EBAR team works to develop publicly accessible range maps for priority species. This winter, just over 400 KBA priority species range maps are up for review, with hundreds of experts invited to participate in this round. For anyone interested in participating or learning more, please fill in this survey and an EBAR team member will follow-up with you.
Warm welcome to a new member of the KBA Canada team, Tobi Muniru. Tobi is Birds Canada’s KBA Technician. She has a background in natural resource management, and is enthusiastic about growing her skills and supporting the team in KBA identification.
Get to know some of WCS Canada’s Regional KBA Coordinators, Robyn Rumney and Ian Adams, in this recent feature by the University of Guelph’s Alumni Magazine. These two U of G graduates are leading the work to identify new KBAs across Ontario and British Columbia, respectively.
The recordings for all past webinars can be found on our website.
We are always looking for more stories about KBAs and the fascinating species within them. If you have a story about a KBA or a potential KBA species that you’d like to share, write to us at KBA Canada.
As always, please get in touch if you have questions or if you want to learn more.
Peter Soroye
Canada Key Biodiversity Areas Assessment and Outreach Coordinator / Coordonnateur de l’évaluation et de la sensibilisation des zones clés pour la biodiversité
