(French translation coming soon/Traduction française à venir)
Hello Everyone!
We hope you’re embracing the crisp beauty of winter as it settles across the country. Wishing you a joyful holiday season and a wonderful start to the new year! Let’s continue to work together to protect the places and species we all cherish as we look forward to an impactful year ahead.
The KBA Canada initiative is making significant progress in its collaborative process to identify all KBAs in the country, with 211 KBAs recognized, and more sites being recognized and published every month.Among the recently identified sites are Canada’s second ecosystem KBA, highlighting the globally rare and threatenedGreat Lakes Dune system atLong Point Peninsula and Marshes KBA. Other sites include Grasslands National Park and Area KBA, which contains over a third of all wild Plains Bison (Bison bison bison) in Canada, and La Muraille KBA, which contains about half of the world’s Québec Rockcress (Boechera quebecensis). The recognition of these sites as KBAs marks another step toward recognizing and preserving the breadth of Canada’s rich natural heritage. Scroll to the bottom of this email for the full list of sites that have been recently added to the KBA Canada website.
The KBA layer is also now available as a web mapping service! If you’re interested in accessing this version of the KBA data, please reach out to us at kba@kbacanada.org.
2024 KBA Photo Contest Winners Announced
This year’s 2024 KBA Photo Contest received over double the submissions from last year, showcasing a broad variety of KBAs, species and ecosystems! Huge thanks to all who contributed images to this year’s competition. To see the full set of winning images and honorable mentions from this year’s contest, visit the KBA Canada website!
Reports to watch
Le State of Canada’s Birds report, now available on the Birds Canada website, provides an assessment of the populations of 463 bird species regularly occurring in Canada. The report highlights troubling trends, with grassland birds experiencing the steepest declines—a 67% drop since 1970. Other groups, such as shorebirds, aerial insectivores, and long-distance migrants also face significant challenges, but some populations of waterfowl, birds of prey, and wetland birds have increased since 1970, representing recoveries from previous declines. Habitat loss emerges as a critical threat to many of these species, making this an ideal opportunity to emphasize the importance of the KBA program in supporting struggling bird populations. We encourage everyone to explore the report and share it widely.
“What We Heard: Results and Next Steps from the Key Biodiversity Area Information-User Survey” highlights the findings of the 2023 KBA End User Survey, which summarizes the results of interviews with nearly 200 conservation professionals and potential KBA information users across Canada. The survey aimed to assess perceptions of KBAs, explore their role in policy and conservation, and identify opportunities for improvement for the KBA Canada program. Findings revealed strong optimism about KBAs’ ability to guide biodiversity conservation, given their rigorous, science-based methodology and comprehensive approach. However, gaps in awareness of KBA processes, criteria, and Indigenous participation were noted. Recommendations included expanding outreach and communication of the KBA process and ongoing approach to Indigenous outreach via social media and workshops, distinguishing the unique value and complementarity of KBAs versus other conservation tools, and pursuing further collaborations to mainstream KBAs within government. KBA Canada has outlined actionable steps following these recommendations and this report establishes a baseline for tracking KBA perceptions and guiding future strategies.
KBA Team in the wild
Earlier this year the “30 Days of KBAs” campaign – where the KBA Canada team and partner organizations showcased KBA sites and species on social media over 30 days in May – saw remarkable global engagement across Instagram and X (formerly Twitter). The initiative fostered collaboration across the KBA Global team and Canadian partners like WCS Canada, Birds Canada, and NCC. Other KBA public KBA partnerships this year included the City Nature Challenge, which featured a bioblitz event in the Lac Deschênes-Ottawa River Candidate KBA, and sampling by participants in many other urban and semi-urban KBAs across the country. A large KBA team contingent from WCS Canada and BC Nature also joined the North American Congress for Conservation Biology meeting in Vancouver this summer, with three presentations highlighting the work on KBAs and the link between KBAs and the GBF and national strategies, alongside a cross-cutting session on KBA values and priorities. June also saw WCS Canada and Birds Canada KBA team members participate in a workshop on the Eastern Georgian Bay Shoreline KBA with several First Nations in Wasauksing, Ontario.
Featured Story
Spalding’s Campion is one of the most rare plants in Canada, and the Yaq̓it ʔa·knuqⱡi’it – Tobacco Plains Key Biodiversity Area in southeastern BC is the only place in Canada where it is found. Read more about this plant, the KBA and work to conserve its seeds in this contributed blog post by BC KBA Coordinator, Ian Adams.
Updates from the EBAR team
Le Ecosystem-based automated range maps (EBAR) team at NatureServe Canada has made significant progress this year, including refreshing the EBAR-KBA database with updated data from all Canadian Conservation Data Centres and true location data for priority species from iNaturalist.ca. A major cleanup of the database was completed as well, flagging over 1.5 million duplicates, and the database now contains approximately 36 million points, 5.2 million polygons, and 1,600 lines. To date, 270 experts have contributed as reviewers of EBAR maps, with 760 maps published on the EBAR webpage, 594 of which focus on KBA priority species. The EBAR team is currently seeking additional experts to review range maps for priority species in collaboration with KBA Canada and Environment and Climate Change Canada. Anyone interested in exploring of reviewing EBAR maps can contact the NatureServe Canada EBAR team at EBAR-KBA@natureserve.ca.
Welcoming a new member to the Birds Canada KBA team!
Birds Canada recently welcomed David Browne as Senior VP of Conservation and Policy, who will take on the leadership of the Birds Canada KBA team, among other responsibilities. He is a conservation professional with over 20 years of experience in translating science and knowledge into actionable strategies for species and habitat preservation. His work spans local, national, and international biodiversity conservation initiatives. Before joining Birds Canada, David led the conservation program at the Canadian Wildlife Federation and served as a federal policy analyst for species at risk and migratory birds with the Canadian Wildlife Service. He holds master’s degrees in environmental policy and earth sciences, as well as a doctorate in biology. David is excited to join the KBA Canada team and contribute to conserving key biodiversity areas for future generations.
Coming up Next!
If you’re interested in conservation in the Kootenay region of BC, be sure to check out this Winter Webinar series on Stewarding for Biodiversity, hosted by Columbia Mountains Institute of Applied Ecology and Kootenay Conservation Program. Webinar topics include KBAs in the Kootenays (presented by BC KBA Coordinator, Ian Adams), Bunchgrass and Badgers, Biodiversity Corridors, and Translating Stewardship Practice across Cultures.
KBA of the Month
Name: Christmas Hill
Location: Southern Saanich Peninsula of Vancouver Island, British Columbia
This holiday season, we’re highlighting this KBA within the Swan Lake Christmas Hill Nature Sanctuary as our Key Biodiversity Area of the Month! Located on Vancouver Island’s Saanich Peninsula, this urban sanctuary protects the rare Garry Oak ecosystem and supports species like the Tall Woolly-heads (Psilocarphus elatior; COSEWIC Endangered). With one of only four remaining populations of this species in Canada, Christmas Hill qualifies as a KBA under national A1a and B1 criteria.
Learn more about its ecological importance and festive charm here
Species of the Month
Name: Tundra Swan (Cygnus columbianus)
Habitat: Grassland, Wetlands (inland), Artificial/Terrestrial
The Tundra Swan (Cygnus columbianus) is a graceful, migratory bird known for its striking white plumage and elegant demeanor. This species breeds in the Arctic tundra and winters in more temperate regions, delighting birdwatchers with its distinctive calls and large flocks. Classified as “Least Concern” under the IUCN Global Status, Tundra Swans are thriving across their range. They regularly congregate in nationally and globally significant numbers during migration at sites such as Peace-Athabasca Delta and the West End of Lake Ontario.
Learn more about this majestic bird here
New KBA Sites!
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.
Nous sommes toujours à la recherche d’autres histoires sur les KBA et les espèces fascinantes qui s’y trouvent. Si vous avez une histoire au sujet d’un KBA ou d’une espèce KBA potentielle que vous aimeriez partager, écrivez-nous à KBA Canada.
The KBA Canada program is driven by collaboration. If you have questions or if you want to learn more, reach out to Peter Soroye (Key Biodiversity Areas Assessment and Outreach Coordinator) at psoroye@wcs.org..
