Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) are sites that contribute significantly to the global persistence of biodiversity.

IUCN' s commitment to development of this standard will help policy makers and practitioners your the world in the private and public sectors to implement conservation safeguards at multiple scales, including local communities, regional and state level governments, and international governance and conservation organizations.

CBO Postdoc and affiliate researcher, Penny Langhammer, is the lead author of the IUCN standard for identification of KBAs. Penny is working closely with The Center for Biodiversity Outcomes,  IUCN representatives, the Wildlife Conservation Society and other partners to support implementation of the new standard for KBAs, including development of the standard documentation, methods, and tools to record, predict, and economically value ecosystem services and human well-being benefits delivered by KBAs.

CBO faculty affiliates will collaborate with IUCN on an analysis of transboundary KBAs, which are KBAs with complex governance structures, such as a KBA spanning two countries.

CBO is also working with the IUCN joint Species Survival Commission/World Commission on Protected Areas and the National Marine Fisheries Service to align the Important Marine Mammal Area initiative with the KBA Standard and support pilot KBA identification for marine mammals.