Evaluation and Update of KBAs in Ecuador: A Crucial Step towards Sustainable Conservation

Key Biodiversity Areas or KBAs (Key Biodiversity Areas) are regions defined as hosting priority species of high importance to promote the conservation of habitats and ecosystems. The prioritization of species is given by: the category of threat of extinction; a restricted range of distribution and endemism to either an ecosystem type or bioregion. In addition, KBAs are considered to be those important areas where the species fulfill an important and/or sensitive stage in their ecology or natural history, for example: reproduction areas, nesting areas, resting sites during the migratory stage or refuges during climatic stress. That is, KABs can also be those areas that host a representative portion of the distribution of a species or populations of species that can prevail over time and fulfill their roles within ecosystems (keybiodiversityareas.org, 2023).

This is how, through one of its global partners, BirdLife International executes the KBA initiative in Ecuador with one of its partners in the country, the Jocotoco Conservation Foundation. The KBA process or initiative has a scheme that will help them in the future. Currently, the KBAs that were considered for Ecuador are being validated using as a baseline the Important Bird Areas (IBAs) and some areas of the alliance for zero extinction, led by the participatory fund for the critical ecosystems (CEPF), as well as KBAs properly identified in the country.

Ecuador had 137 KBAs, many of them had in some way conservation schemes or conservation categories, such as: protected areas of the national system of protected areas (SNAP); private reserves, mainly established for conservation purposes for birds such as those of the Jocotoco foundation.

Using standardized guidelines (IUCN SSC/WCPA KBA Standards and Appeals Committee, 2022; KBA Secretariat, 2022), these pre-existing KBAs are being evaluated in the country since July 2022.

For the proposed evaluation and generation of KBAs, it was decided to include other organisms or taxonomic groups for the analyses. To do this, they brought together experts in: amphibians, reptiles, flightless small mammals and birds. Including primates and certain species of plants. In addition to spatial and database analysts to generate an evaluation system in accordance with the needs of the initiative.

The work began in June - July 2022, with the systematization, curation and organization of information regarding the location of specimens from scientific collections and observations, with georeferenced information, data on the number of individuals and other parameters that allowed confirming the presences. and the number of reproductive units in pre-existing and proposed new KBAs.

The binding work of the KBA coordination in Ecuador with various scientific institutions and independent researchers articulated the scientific trajectory of the University of Azuay, through the Museum of Zoology and particularly with the Institute of Sectional Regime Studies of Ecuador (IERSE). , who, together with the KBA technical coordination team, developed an automated system for the spatial analysis of KBA criteria and thresholds, allowing the respective evaluation and generation of new KBA proposals to be simplified.

The work resulted in the confirmation and update of the global KBA database, with the incorporation of 30 new KBAs, the replacement by expansion or unification of 48 new KBAs; as well as the modification of 22 KBAs; the prevalence of 16 previously recognized KBAs. However, 14 KBAs no longer meet the established parameters, resulting in 116 KBAs for Ecuador. These will be uploaded to the KBA global database before the end of 2023 for consultation and use in local and/or national conservation strategies and policies.

Reference

KBA Secretariat (2022). Key Biodiversity Areas Proposal Process: Guidance on proposing, reviewing, nominating and confirming sites. Version 1.1. Prepared by the KBA Secretariat and the KBA Committee of the KBA Association. Cambridge, UK.

IUCN SSC/WCPA KBA Standards and Appeals Committee (2022). Guidelines for the use of a global standard for the identification of Key Biodiversity Areas. Version 1.2. Gland, Switzerland: IUCN.

The World Database of Key Biodiversity Areas as provided in the KBA Website (keybiodiversityareas.org, 2023).