163 Freshwater KBAs confirmed
16th September 2020
163 freshwater Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) have been confirmed to meet the new Global KBA standard over the last 4 years through regional projects led by the IUCN Freshwater Biodiversity Unit (FBU). 340 additional sites, identified prior to the 2016 KBA Standard using older criteria, still requiring revision are in the Mediterranean Basin, the tropical Andes, Madagascar, Lake Victoria basin, Western Ghats, and Canada.
This ongoing work to revise previously proposed freshwater sites, one of the most threatened habitats in the world, is being funded through Synchronicity Earth. The inclusion of these sites in the World Database of KBAs and subsequently in the Integrated Biodiversity Assessment Tool (www.ibat-alliance.org) and other portals will provide a much needed tool to help guide conservation planning and decision making in freshwater ecosystems.
