Applying the Key Biodiversity Area Standard to Important Sites for Sharks
ABSTRACT The Kunming‐Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework commits nations to conserving 30% of coastal and marine areas, “especially areas of particular importance for biodiversity.” Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) provide a standardized approach for recognizing sites holding a significant proportio...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2025-05-01
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| Series: | Conservation Letters |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1111/conl.13117 |
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| author | Charlotte Boyd Ryan Charles Emiliano García‐Rodríguez Adriana Gonzalez‐Pestana Peter M. Kyne Christoph A. Rohner Giuseppe Notarbartolo di Sciara Rima W. Jabado |
| author_facet | Charlotte Boyd Ryan Charles Emiliano García‐Rodríguez Adriana Gonzalez‐Pestana Peter M. Kyne Christoph A. Rohner Giuseppe Notarbartolo di Sciara Rima W. Jabado |
| author_sort | Charlotte Boyd |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | ABSTRACT The Kunming‐Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework commits nations to conserving 30% of coastal and marine areas, “especially areas of particular importance for biodiversity.” Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) provide a standardized approach for recognizing sites holding a significant proportion of the global population or extent of species or ecosystems. However, concerns about the relevance of this approach for broadly distributed and/or highly mobile aquatic vertebrates prompted development of parallel approaches focused on critical areas for life‐history processes, including Important Shark and Ray Areas (ISRAs). We examine these approaches and assess whether important areas for sharks, rays, and chimaeras (“sharks”) can qualify as KBAs, by applying the KBA criteria to ISRAs. One fifth of ISRAs could be recognized as KBAs. KBAs could be recognized for three quarters of globally threatened and two thirds of non‐threatened restricted‐range sharks based on published range maps. For broadly distributed species, additional information (e.g., on aggregations) is needed to recognize important sites as KBAs. Our results show that these approaches are complementary, highlighting the potential for ISRAs to contribute to KBA assessments while ensuring important sites for sharks are mapped and available to inform government actions to meet global commitments for conserving biodiversity in coastal and marine areas. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-99604ee8186740aeb790cf425a4e0475 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1755-263X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Conservation Letters |
| spelling | doaj-art-99604ee8186740aeb790cf425a4e04752025-08-20T03:27:56ZengWileyConservation Letters1755-263X2025-05-01183n/an/a10.1111/conl.13117Applying the Key Biodiversity Area Standard to Important Sites for SharksCharlotte Boyd0Ryan Charles1Emiliano García‐Rodríguez2Adriana Gonzalez‐Pestana3Peter M. Kyne4Christoph A. Rohner5Giuseppe Notarbartolo di Sciara6Rima W. Jabado7Biodiversity Assessment AdvisorsNairobi KenyaIUCN Species Survival CommissionShark Specialist GroupDubai UAEIUCN Species Survival CommissionShark Specialist GroupDubai UAEIUCN Species Survival CommissionShark Specialist GroupDubai UAEResearch Institute for the Environment and LivelihoodsCharles Darwin UniversityDarwinAustraliaIUCN Species Survival CommissionShark Specialist GroupDubai UAEIUCN Species Survival CommissionShark Specialist GroupDubai UAEIUCN Species Survival CommissionShark Specialist GroupDubai UAEABSTRACT The Kunming‐Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework commits nations to conserving 30% of coastal and marine areas, “especially areas of particular importance for biodiversity.” Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) provide a standardized approach for recognizing sites holding a significant proportion of the global population or extent of species or ecosystems. However, concerns about the relevance of this approach for broadly distributed and/or highly mobile aquatic vertebrates prompted development of parallel approaches focused on critical areas for life‐history processes, including Important Shark and Ray Areas (ISRAs). We examine these approaches and assess whether important areas for sharks, rays, and chimaeras (“sharks”) can qualify as KBAs, by applying the KBA criteria to ISRAs. One fifth of ISRAs could be recognized as KBAs. KBAs could be recognized for three quarters of globally threatened and two thirds of non‐threatened restricted‐range sharks based on published range maps. For broadly distributed species, additional information (e.g., on aggregations) is needed to recognize important sites as KBAs. Our results show that these approaches are complementary, highlighting the potential for ISRAs to contribute to KBA assessments while ensuring important sites for sharks are mapped and available to inform government actions to meet global commitments for conserving biodiversity in coastal and marine areas.https://doi.org/10.1111/conl.13117conservation planningGlobal Biodiversity FrameworkImportant Shark and Ray AreasISRAsKBAsmarine spatial planning |
| spellingShingle | Charlotte Boyd Ryan Charles Emiliano García‐Rodríguez Adriana Gonzalez‐Pestana Peter M. Kyne Christoph A. Rohner Giuseppe Notarbartolo di Sciara Rima W. Jabado Applying the Key Biodiversity Area Standard to Important Sites for Sharks Conservation Letters conservation planning Global Biodiversity Framework Important Shark and Ray Areas ISRAs KBAs marine spatial planning |
| title | Applying the Key Biodiversity Area Standard to Important Sites for Sharks |
| title_full | Applying the Key Biodiversity Area Standard to Important Sites for Sharks |
| title_fullStr | Applying the Key Biodiversity Area Standard to Important Sites for Sharks |
| title_full_unstemmed | Applying the Key Biodiversity Area Standard to Important Sites for Sharks |
| title_short | Applying the Key Biodiversity Area Standard to Important Sites for Sharks |
| title_sort | applying the key biodiversity area standard to important sites for sharks |
| topic | conservation planning Global Biodiversity Framework Important Shark and Ray Areas ISRAs KBAs marine spatial planning |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1111/conl.13117 |
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