Key Biodiversity Areas (KBA) are the most important places in the world for species and their habitats.
The KBA network includes ‘sites contributing significantly to the global persistence of biodiversity’, in terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystems.
Sites qualify as global KBAs if they meet one or more of 11 criteria, clustered into five categories: threatened biodiversity; geographically restricted biodiversity; ecological integrity; biological processes; and irreplaceability.
One subset of KBAs includes the Alliance for Zero extinction sites, which hold the last-remaining populations of 1,483 of the Earth’s most threatened species. Protecting these sites is essential to preventing species extinction.
The World Database of Key Biodiversity Areas (WDKBA) is managed by BirdLife International on behalf of the KBA Partnership and is updated twice per year.
Further information on the process and methodology for identifying sites as KBAs can be found in the KBA Standard and associated guidelines, as well as their business user guidance.
Key links can be found below
KBA Partnership: View here
A global standard for the identification of Key Biodiversity Areas: View here
Guidelines for using 'A global standard for the identification of Key Biodiversity Areas': View here
Why Key Biodiversity Areas are important to business: View here
Guidelines on business and KBAs: View here
