TropicalCoast 4th new indd

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July 2008

Site conservation is one of the 

most effective means to reduce 

global diversity loss. Identifying and 

prioritizing sites where biodiversity 

must be conserved immediately, is 

a basic and necessary step to focus 

resources to revert the declining 

trends.

Marine protected areas (MPAs) 

figure prominently in marine 

conservation work. MPAs are  often 

proxies that ultimately aim to 

safeguard species by protecting 

their habitats.   

Evolving Processes 

in Developing Site 

Conservation Targets

By     Miledel Christine C. Quibilan, Ruth Grace R. Ambal and Sheila G. Vergara

         Conservation International-Philippines

How can networks of globally important biodiversity sites be safeguarded?

1      

Defi nitions of key terms used in the steps: 

 

  Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) – “sites of global signifi cance for biodiversity conservation. 

They are identifi ed using globally standard criteria and thresholds, based on the needs 

of biodiversity requiring safeguards at the site scale. These criteria are based on the 

framework of vulnerability and irreplaceability widely used in systematic conservation 

planning” (Langhammer, et al., 2007). 

 

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species  –  is the most widely accepted standard for information 

on extinction risk and conservation status of species (More information at www.iucnredlist.

org).

  Global Marine Species Assessment – is a project that aims to conduct the fi rst  global 

review of the risk of extinction for every marine vertebrate species, plants and selected 

invertebrates—approximately 20,000 marine species—using the IUCN Red List Categories 

and Criteria. 

 

Vagrant –  “a taxon that is currently found only very occasionally within the boundaries of a 

region, a region that would therefore only have a very small share of the global population” 

(Gärdenfors, et al., 2001).

MPAs are defined by the 

International Union for the 

Conservation of Nature (IUCN)   

as “any area of the intertidal or 

subtidal terrain together with its 

overlying water and associated 

flora, fauna, historical and cultural 

features, which has been reserved 

by law or other effective means to 

protect part or all of the enclosed 

environment.”

In order to identify relevant sites for 

conservation, a process similar to 

the steps outlined below

1

  (CI, 2008) 

is followed:

1.  Compilation of a list of species 

that could potentially trigger 

Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) 

within the region. This list 

includes: (a) species that are 

currently recognized on the 

IUCN Red List of Threatened 

Species as globally threatened; 

(b) species that possess highly 

restricted ranges; (c) species 

that congregate in high 

densities; and (d) species that 

qualify using IUCN criteria as 

globally threatened but have 

not yet been assessed for listing; 

2.  Compilation of existing data on 

population sizes of species that 

could potentially trigger KBAs, 

and mapping of the localities at 

which they occur;

3.  In consultation with the Global 

Marine Species Assessment, 

initiation of the  IUCN Red 

List process for species that 

qualify using Red List criteria as 

globally threatened but have 

not yet been assessed for listing;

4.  Identification of vagrant 

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Tropical Coasts

threatened species that should 

be excluded from the KBA 

process;

5.  Application of thresholds to 

populations of each trigger 

species to identify KBA sites;

6.  As resources allow, undertaking 

directed surveys of candidate 

KBAs where trigger species 

are suspected to occur or 

population size is unknown;

7.   Delineation of KBA boundaries by 

overlaying locations of non-vagrant 

threatened species and populations 

of other species that could 

trigger KBAs with available maps 

describing management units;

8.  As resources allow, 

identification and taking 

appropriate actions to safeguard 

KBAs and populations of trigger 

species within KBAs; and

9.  Documentation of data used 

and all steps undertaken 

during the KBA identification 

and delineation processes. 

Information is then published.

The following sections describe the 

processes involved in the identifi cation 

and prioritization of site conservation 

targets at the ecoregion/seascape

scale and how it was refi ned at  the 

national level (i.e., Philippines) using 

the Key Biodiversity Areas (KBA) 

approach. 

Sulu-Sulawesi Marine 

Ecoregion Priority-

setting

The identification of priority 

conservation areas (PCAs) in the 

Sulu-Sulawesi Marine Ecoregion 

followed a process similar to that 

previously described, but identified 

a set of groups of species (taxa) or 

habitats, which are representative 

of the range of biological diversity 

in the Ecoregion: i.e., mangroves 

and estuaries; marine plants; 

coral reefs; demersal fishes and 

invertebrates; pelagic fishes; and 

charismatic species such as marine 

mammals.  The process used 

locations of groups of species or 

habitats, which experts deemed 

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