Monitoring

Given KBAs global significance for biodiversity it is important that we are able to monitor the status of the biodiversity elements that qualify a site as a KBA, the threats they face, and actions being taken to conserve them. Comprehensive information on the status of KBAs is essential to track progress in conserving these sites over time and is an indicator of the Convention on Biological Diversity’s Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. A KBA monitoring strategy has been developed that includes a protocol designed to provide an early warning of any problems at the site, and to enable assessment of the effectiveness of any conservation measures in place. The outputs of monitoring, if sufficiently robust, can also provide metrics that inform the state of KBAs more broadly, such as across a country or regions.

A State-Pressure-Response framework forms the basis of the KBA monitoring protocol. The state assessment sets out to reflect changes to the condition of the KBA and is measured by either the population sizes of the trigger species or the extent and condition of the ecosystems. The pressure (or threat) assessment reflects the pressures or threats facing a site and their likely impact on the trigger species or ecosystems. The response assessment reflects the extent of conservation measures being implemented at a site such as action, management planning and extent of protection. Within this framework, state, pressure and response monitoring assessments are generated on a regular basis (ideally every 3-5 years) by people working closely with the site such as original KBA proposers, KBA National Coordination Groups, members of KBA Partners, local communities or indigenous peoples, s or indeed any others who are associated with sites and can provide relevant data.

Site monitoring data will also be supported by outputs from increasing numbers of free, high resolution, regularly updated datasets from a range of sources (e.g. remote sensing, citizen science among others). KBA monitoring data generated by these and other efforts will soon be fed into a simple, streamlined system located in the World Database of KBAs (WDKBA) to help track the condition of KBAs, threats to them, and responses in place.