KBA Standard Questionnaire
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  • KBA Standard Questionnaire

    Survey to inform decisions on whether to revise 'A Global Standard for the Identification of Key Biodiversity Areas'

  • Background

    A Global Standard for the Identification of Key Biodiversity Areas (IUCN 2016, hereafter the KBA Standard) provides a set of definitions, criteria and thresholds, and delineation procedures for identifying Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs), i.e. sites contributing significantly to the global persistence of biodiversity. 

    Ten years after its launch, the KBA Committee, representing the KBA Partners, seeks feedback on which elements of the KBA Standard are working as intended and proving practical to apply, and which elements (if any) might need to be revised or refined in the next few years or in the longer term. 

    Any revisions will respect the intent, principles, and scope of the original KBA Standard (as set out in its Introduction and Preamble), but particular definitions, criteria and thresholds, and delineation procedures may be revised based on experience and/or testing or otherwise refined.

    The primary purpose of this survey is to provide the KBA Committee with information on whether users think the KBA Standard needs significant revisions — if so, which parts need revision and are they needed urgently or can they wait for a few more years’ experience.

    For all those who have used the KBA Standard in KBA assessments and others broadly familiar with the KBA Standard and its intent, this is your opportunity to help decide these questions. Several questions ask whether you have experience with applying the KBA Standard. We are interested in hearing from you even if your experience included scoping analysis but no site assessments, or site assessments that were never proposed to the KBA Secretariat, or site assessments that were proposed but never confirmed by the KBA Secretariat.

    Please feel free to respond in the language of your choice.

    We estimate that most respondents will take about 25 minutes to complete the survey, but those with a great deal of experience and feedback to offer may take longer. After completing Questions 1 - 6, we recommend that you focus on those questions where you have most experience and feedback to offer. You may return to previous sections and update your responses at any time until you hit the SUBMIT button.

    Your answers will be kept anonymous. Your input is much appreciated — thank you very much!

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  • About you

  • Question 1: What is your connection to the KBA Standard (please check all that apply to you)?
  • Question 2: What is your level of experience in applying the KBA Standard to identify important sites for biodiversity?

  • Question 3: For those with experience applying the KBA Standard, please indicate the countries where you have most experience (please check all that apply to you) or the region(s) if applicable:

    • Countries 
    • Regions 
    •  
    • Question 4: For those with experience applying the KBA Standard, in which systems have you applied the KBA Standard (please check all that apply to you)?
    • Question 5: Please indicate which criteria you have practical experience with (please check all that apply to you)
    • Note. Information on your practical experience with each criterion provides us with useful context – you may still respond to the questions below if you have not applied a criterion but have considered its applicability (e.g., in a scoping analysis).

  • Overview

  • Note. Several questions ask whether you think the KBA Standard requires minor or major revisions:

    • Examples of minor revisions include clarifications of terms and language
    • Examples of major revisions include adjustments to one or more criteria, subcriteria or thresholds (while respecting the intent, principles, and scope of the original KBA Standard)
  • Question 6: Please summarise your overall view on the KBA Standard:

  • KBA Standard: Introduction and Preamble

  •

  • Note. This may include suggestions for additional sections or key points to be included in the Preamble to clarify the intent, principles, or scope of the KBA Standard.

  • Any revisions to the KBA Standard will respect the intent, principles, and scope of the original KBA Standard, as set out in the Introduction and Preamble to the KBA Standard. Nevertheless, we seek to understand whether any of the key points in these sections require clarification.

  • Definitions

  • Question 8: Do you think the definitions of Terms used in the KBA Criteria and Delineation Procedures in the KBA Standard (pp 11-15) provide a clear and practical summary of each concept? Please check the box for any term that you think is unclear or needs to be refined.

  • Terms used in the KBA Criteria and Delineation Procedures
  • Additional terms defined in the KBA Guidelines

  • KBA Criteria and Thresholds

  • Criterion A1. Threatened species

  • Question 9: How do you find the approach set out in the KBA Standard for identifying important sites for threatened species under Criterion A1?
  • Note. Follow-up questions focus on the reproductive-units thresholds and assessment parameters; please reserve any comments on these topics for those questions. This Question 9 comment box is the best place to provide comments specific to Criterion A1.

  • Criterion A2. Threatened ecosystem types

  • Question 10: How do you find the approach set out in the KBA Standard for identifying important sites for the persistence of threatened ecosystem types under Criterion A2?

  • Criterion B1. Individual geographically restricted species

  • Question 11: How do you find the approach set out in the KBA Standard for identifying important sites for individual geographically restricted species under Criterion B1?
  • Note. Follow-up questions focus on the reproductive-units thresholds and assessment parameters; please reserve any comments on these topics for those questions. This is the best place to provide comments specific to Criterion B1.

  • Criterion B2. Co-occurring geographically restricted species

  • Question 12: How do you find the approach set out in the KBA Standard for identifying important sites for co-occurring geographically restricted species under Criterion B2?
  • Note.  A follow-up question focuses on assessment parameters; please reserve any comments on assessment parameters for that question. This is the best place to provide comments specific to Criterion B2.

  • Criterion B3. Geographically restricted assemblages

  • Question 13: How do you find the approach set out in the KBA Standard for identifying important sites for geographically restricted assemblages under Criterion B3?
  • Note. Follow-up questions focus on the reproductive-units thresholds and assessment parameters; please reserve any comments on these topics for those questions. This is the best place to provide comments specific to Criterion B3.

  • Criterion B4. Geographically restricted ecosystem types

  • Question 14: How do you find the approach set out in the KBA Standard for identifying important sites for the persistence of geographically restricted ecosystem types under Criterion B4?

  • Criterion C. Ecological integrity

  • Question 15: The KBA Guidelines provide detailed guidance on interpreting and applying Criterion C, based on a dedicated expert workshop held after the publication of the KBA Standard. How do you find the approach set out in the KBA Guidelines (Ver. 1.2) for identifying sites with globally outstanding ecological integrity under Criterion C?

  • Criterion D1. Demographic aggregations

  • Question 16: How do you find the approach set out in the KBA Standard for identifying important sites for species that form demographic aggregations under Criterion D1?

  • Criterion D2. Ecological refugia

  • Question 17: How do you find the approach set out in the KBA Standard for identifying important sites for species that depend on ecological refugia under Criterion D2?

  • Criterion D3. Recruitment sources

  • Question 18: How do you find the approach set out in the KBA Standard for identifying important sites for species that depend on particular sites for recruitment under Criterion D3?

  • Criterion E. Irreplaceability through quantitative analysis

  • Question 19: How do you find the approach set out in the KBA Standard for identifying sites with very high irreplaceability through quantitative analysis under Criterion E?
  • Note. Follow-up questions focus on the reproductive-units thresholds and assessment parameters; please reserve any comments on these topics for those questions. This is the best place to provide comments specific to Criterion E.

  • Reproductive units and assessment parameters

  • Reproductive units

  • Question 20: How do you find the approach set out in the KBA Standard for avoiding identification of sites with very few mature individuals from being identified as KBAs for that species? (Some of the species-based criteria include a reproductive-units threshold to ensure that sites with very few mature individuals of a species are not identified as important for that species even if they meet the relevant population-size threshold.)

  • Assessment parameters (i) to (v)

  • Question 21 [OLD]: The KBA Standard allows for various assessment parameters that can be used to infer whether a site holds a threshold proportion of the global population size. Please check the drop-down box for any assessment parameter that you think needs to be revised or refined (please check all that apply):
  • Question 21: The KBA Standard allows for various assessment parameters that can be used to infer whether a site holds a threshold proportion of the global population size. Please check the drop-down box for any assessment parameter that you think needs to be revised or refined (please check all that apply):

  • Note. Genetic diversity will be covered in a separate question.

  • Note. You may also use this comment box to propose additional assessment parameters not included in the KBA Standard or KBA Guidelines.

  • Genetic diversity

  • Question 22: Overall, how do you find the approach set out in the KBA Standard for identifying important sites for the persistence of genetic diversity? (Note. KBAs are sites contributing significantly to the global persistence of biodiversity, defined as including 'diversity within species [i.e. genetic diversity], between species and of ecosystems.)

  • Delineation

  • Question 23. The KBA Standard sets out Delineation Procedures (supplemented by extensive guidance in the KBA Guidelines). Overall, how do you find the Delineation Procedures set out in the KBA Standard?
  • Note. In responding to this question, please focus on what may need to be revised in the KBA Standard itself rather than the KBA Guidelines.

  • Additional feedback on the KBA Standard

  • Note. Comments are welcome here on any aspect of the KBA Standard not covered in previous questions/responses. In particular, this is a good place to provide comments on the applicability of the KBA Standard in different environments (e.g., subterranean, terrestrial, freshwater, marine), or to different taxonomic groups, or to different ecosystem functional groups etc. It is also a good place to identify any barriers to the KBA assessment process that could be addressed through modifications to the KBA Standard consistent with the intent, principles, and scope of the original KBA Standard.

  • Adapting the KBA Standard to a Regional context

  • Question 25: The KBA Standard indicates that sites may be identified as regional KBAs by adapting the KBA Standard to regional levels. This would provide a mechanism for recognising sites of importance for the regional persistence of biodiversity that fall outside the network of global KBAs. The KBA Standard envisioned the inclusion of regional KBAs in the World Database of Key Biodiversity Areas. Please indicate how you would prioritise development of regional guidelines for applying the KBA Standard:
  • Please indicate which of the following general approaches for adapting the KBA Standard to the regional scale you think would be most useful (please select all that apply).
  • Note. You may also use this comment box to propose any additional general approaches for adapting the KBA Standard to the regional scale that you think should be considered.

  • Wrap up

  • Question 26: Would you be open to having a follow-up interview (e.g., by Zoom) on your experience with the KBA Standard?
  • Should be Empty: