An automated approach for systematic detection of Key Biodiversity Areas

Abstract

The new Key Biodiversity Areas (KBA) standard is an important method for identifying regions of the planet hosting unique biodiversity. KBAs are identified through the implementation of threshold-based criteria that can be applied to any target species and region. Efficient methods to rapidly assess the existence of potential KBAs in different areas of the planet are still missing, although they are needed to accelerate the KBA identification process for large numbers of species globally. We developed a methodology to scan geographical regions and detect potential KBAs under multiple criteria. We tested the methodology on 59 species of reptiles and amphibians in Italy through the application of selected KBA criteria. Potential KBAs were identified for multiple species under most criteria, covering 1.4% to 12% of the study area, depending on analytical settings. Unit size used to identify KBAs played an important role in shaping the distribution of potential KBAs, also affecting the degree of overlap between areas triggered by different criteria. New potential KBAs identified in this study are only partially nested within current KBAs in Italy (previously identified for birds) and within the national protected areas.

Insects as indicators of Key Biodiversity Areas

“…This evidence suggests that criteria based on single species assessments are more likely to be triggered in a multi-criteria analysis such as the one presented in this study. The same trend was observed in a previous study that systematically applied the four criteria to reptiles and amphibians in Italy (Nania et al, 2023).…”

“…We selected four KBA criteria that could be tested using AOH maps as an estimate of the proportion of the species' global population size, according to the global standards (IUCN, 2016). Furthermore, the four criteria were previously tested on Italian reptiles and amphibians with the same methodology (Nania et al, 2023) To identify potential KBAs under the selected criteria in Italy, we produced a 10 Â 10 km cell sized grid that entirely covered its administrative boundaries. This cell size was previously used to detect potential KBAs for reptiles and amphibians in Italy and was suggested to be more efficient than larger cells for this purpose (Nania et al, 2023).…”

“…Furthermore, the four criteria were previously tested on Italian reptiles and amphibians with the same methodology (Nania et al, 2023) To identify potential KBAs under the selected criteria in Italy, we produced a 10 Â 10 km cell sized grid that entirely covered its administrative boundaries. This cell size was previously used to detect potential KBAs for reptiles and amphibians in Italy and was suggested to be more efficient than larger cells for this purpose (Nania et al, 2023). We then followed the procedure adopted in Nania et al…”

“…• National protected areas of Italy Nania et al (2023). To test the percentage of nesting between potential KBAs for different taxa, we only considered potential KBAs that were identified using cells of the same size as was adopted in this study (10 Â 10 km).…”

“…Furthermore, protected areas design and management rarely focus on insects. In the present context of wildlife decline, the use of rapid and automatized methods to identify potentially relevant areas for conservation can accelerate the inclusion of many species, which are normally left out of processes such as the identification of Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) (Nania et al, 2023). Such methods could also be combined with other automatized approaches.…”