The KBA Canada website, which is the central repository for all KBA information in Canada, just got a big update with the release of a brand-new KBA Dashboard! This development provides an invaluable resource for users interested in exploring information on KBAs in Canada. The Dashboard is an interactive display of 23 vignettes showing key information about Canada's network of KBAs. From important conservation metrics like protected area coverage, threats, and ongoing conservation actions, to insights about the types of species and ecosystems meeting KBA criteria, there is a lot to explore. All the information can be filtered by several categories, including Global or National KBAs, specific sub-national jurisdictions, environments (e.g. marine KBAs), or even the specific types of criteria met. The dashboard provides all information in English and French, and updates automatically when new KBAs are published.

 

In June, the KBA Canada Secretariat also published a revised version of the National Standard for the Identification of KBAs in Canada. The Canadian program was the first national coordination group to publish a national KBA standard in 2019, and this update reflects the intervening years of experience gained by the program. The Canadian national standard is a very conservative adaptation of the global standard and remains closely aligned, using virtually all the same thresholds but allowing consideration of national populations and extents, and national threat rankings. The revision is narrowly focused on revised thresholds for national ecosystem criteria A2 (threatened ecosystems) and B4 (geographically restricted ecosystems). Following years of testing and expert input in Canada and in collaboration with Wildlife Conservation Society colleagues worldwide, it was determined that the thresholds established in the 2016 Global Standard for these criteria were too high to capture important sites for a majority of ecosystem types in Canada, including some that are highly threatened. 

While the Canadian national standard was able to undergo revision relatively quickly in response to these findings, these changes will only affect national criteria. The global KBA partnership continues to take in feedback on this subject from multiple countries and KBA experts, and is undertaking new analyses that could eventually lead to changes to these criteria in the global KBA Standard and Guidelines. The reduced ecosystem thresholds will allow KBA proposers to recognize more high-quality sites of disproportionate importance for ecosystems in Canada. The revised National Standard also contains updated guidance on delineation of KBAs, and new information on the collaborative two-stage review process that is required for all KBAs in Canada.