Overview of the KBA Process : A report card for Melanesia
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Outcome definition for CI Melanesia through Moore-funded CBC
Supported by CSIRO through CI-CSIRO partnership for scientific support to Melanesia CBC
Prepared by Roger James, Kristen Williams, Naamal de Silva
Key Biodiversity Areas: review and lessons learned workshopConservation International, 25-28th July 2006, The Churchill Hotel Washington DC
Melanesia Centre for Biodiversity Conservation
Melanesian Region: the Hot & Wild bits
Previous site prioritization initiatives in Melanesia
Country Process Outcome
Vanuatu NBSAP No site outcomes defined
Solomon Is Protected Forest Network for Solomon Is, 1990
Country-wide sites for forest protection, threat-based
PNG Conservation Needs Assessment, 1995? BioRAP, 1998
Country-wide regions, knowledge & representation-based
Papua (Indonesia)
Priority Setting Workshop, 2000?
Province-wide regions, knowledge & representation-basedOranges in an apple basket?
KBA definition: progress
CR EN VU TOTAL
Mammals 8 13 38 59
Birds 3 21 24
Reptiles 2 4 6
Amphibians 1 6 7
Fish 3 1 13 17
Invertebrates 5 4 9
Plants 14 13 137 164
TOTAL 26 37 223 286
Species Outcomes: New Guinea Wilderness
KBA definition: progress
CR EN VU TOTAL
Mammals 4 2 16 22
Birds 2 4 24 30
Reptiles 1 1 2
Invertebrates 2 5 7
Plants 2 8 31 41
TOTAL 8 17 77 102
Species Outcomes: East Melanesian Islands Hotspot
KBA definition: progress
CR EN VU TOTAL
Mammals 2 2 4
Birds 3 4 7
Invertebrates 3 4 3 10
Plants 27 64 125 216
TOTAL 33 74 130 237
Species Outcomes: New Caledonia Hotspot
KBA definition: progress
• Major accomplishment: simple habitat delineation method & tools developed:– Point data & contextual data driven– Ecological logic and GIS processing
KBA definition: progress
• 16 KBA’s identified for New Guinea so far on vulnerability criteria (5 more identified on irreplaceability criteria alone)
• 2 in Indonesian Papua, 14 in PNG (ratio influenced by Milne Bay pilot project)
• 7 of the 16 delineated
• Major objective for FY07 is completion of New Guinea Wilderness KBA’s, and first cut for East Melanesian Islands Hotspot
KBA definition: progress
Site Outcomes: New Guinea Wilderness
Use of irreplaceability criteria
• Current work priority = vulnerability criteria
• Have tested irreplaceability and found it complements vulnerability and is valuable in Wilderness
• But vulnerability still maps the frontline of biodiversity loss, so our habitat delineation and therefore KBA definition, priority is CR>EN>Single Site Species>VU>RR
Issues & challenges
• Acknowledge this is a KBA workshop – not a corridor planning or species planning or implementation planning workshop
• Ratify as an organisational strategy the science-based, data-driven process for identifying KBAs – give regions confidence effort is well spent
• Identify best practice and minimum practice for identifying KBAs – to get credible KBA’s
• Common problems and solutions to data accessibility issues
• Transparency & accuracy come at a cost – time and effort intensive – when to stop?
Issues & challenges
• Internal and external partner coordination – different levels (data collation, habitat delineation, KBA identification, KBA delineation)
• Defining sites along continua of species range and habitat overlaps in Wilderness
• Formal delineation of KBAs in consultation with field implementation programs/partners – lot of work and perhaps not necessary where no implementation capacity in place? Best stage for participatory process to build ownership/engagement?
• Integrating results into strategies, workplans, grants when still at preliminary stages - acknowledging KBAs as compelling evidence for site based conservation action
