A National Standard for the Identification of KBAs in Canada
Mar 18, 2021

The Global Standard for the Identification of Key Biodiversity Areas (the “KBA Standard”) outlines the rules for identifying KBAs and ensures that all globally-recognized KBAs worldwide are identified in a way that is objective, transparent and rigorous. In addition, it encourages coordinators of in-country KBA identification processes to adapt KBA criteria for identifying sites of national significance – similar to how the IUCN Red List has been adapted in Canada to COSEWIC’s process for assessing species at risk. Accordingly, Canada is the first country to lead the formulation of a National KBA Standard, presented in this webinar by Dr. Justina Ray (President and Senior Scientist at WCS Canada, and science advisor for Canada KBA program). Canada is home to a broad and complex scope of biodiversity, and as such, our goal for the National Standard was to provide a framework that assures the consistency and rigor of the Global Standard, while reflecting the national diversity found in this country. The National Standard provides guidance for the recognition of sites that host biodiversity important in the Canadian context (including infraspecies, range-edge species, and those that are stable globally, but imperiled in Canada), and leverages our growing KBA experience by providing additional guidance on site delineation and broad review of all KBAs.

Mar 18, 2021
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