As part of the Key Biodiversity Area Partnership, CEPF contributed to a joint submission of comments on the Convention on Biological Diversity zero draft document, which suggests goals and targets for the next decade of conservation (2020-2030).
The draft of Target 2 concerns the coverage of active conservation (protected areas and Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures [OECMs]). The following language on KBAs was proposed for inclusion: "Conserve, restore, and document the value of all Key Biodiversity Areas and other sites of particular importance for biodiversity through protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures, by 2030 covering at least [30%] of land and sea area."
Also suggested was that the guidance on the ecosystems target (1) and invasive species target (3) could reference prioritizing KBAs in particular. Target 1 and Target 13 have language supporting spatial planning, and it was proposed that spatial planning, which would include assessments of KBAs across multiple taxonomic groups, should be a component of the next National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAP), including incorporation of spatial plans across government sectors.
A motion was also submitted to the IUCN World Conservation Congress titled “Strengthening national spatial planning to ensure the global persistence of biodiversity.”
The motion calls upon governments to:
- Develop or update spatial plans incorporating sites of importance for the global persistence of biodiversity across multiple taxa and ecosystems (KBAs), along with the connectivity required to ensure biodiversity persistence, and use these to inform plans to expand networks of protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures;
- Incorporate these plans into NBSAP and integrate them through cross-sectoral planning across government institutions, using them to guide national land- and sea-use planning, while avoiding or otherwise minimizing negative impacts on biodiversity.
