South Africa’s Data for Identifying Key Biodiversity...
Transcript of South Africa’s Data for Identifying Key Biodiversity...
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South Africa’s Data for Identifying Key Biodiversity Areas
Domitilla Raimondo, Andrew Skowno, Lize von Staden & Daniel Marnewick
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Key Biodiversity Areas
Butterflies 15847 records for threatened & rare spp.
• Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) are sites that contribute to the global persistence of biodiversity, including vital habitat for threatened plant and animal species in terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystems.
• The Global Standard for the Identification of Key Biodiversity Areas (IUCN 2016) sets out globally agreed criteria for the identification of KBAs worldwide.
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South Africa has a unique receiving environment for KBA work
Butterflies 15847 records for threatened & rare spp.
• Ecosystem and species assessments have been conducted in marine, terrestrial and freshwater systems.
• Species & ecosystem distribution information is available spatially.
• South Africa has a strong history of spatial biodiversity prioritisation through Systematic Biodiversity Planning.
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Ecosystem classification and mapping exists for all of South Africa’s realms
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All vertebrates have been assessed
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420 Reptiles 122 Amphibians 346 Mammals
203 fresh water fish 843 Birds 150 Marine Fish ‐ selected
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Invertebrate assessments increasing
161 Dragonflies 780 Butterflies
Assessments underway for:• 2200 Spiders• 5 grasshopper families• Colophon beetles• Selected marine and estuarine
macro invertebrates.
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http://speciesstatus.sanbi.org
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• 20 556 plant species assessed between 2004 ‐ 2009• Only Megadiverse Country to have comprehensively assessed all plants. • Annual updates of 700 – 1000 species published online.
http://redlist.sanbi.org
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Species data available for 8 taxonomic groups
Plants: 78382 records of threatened spp. For 2700 threatened plants
Butterflies : 15847 records for threatened & rare spp.
Spatial data available for:Mammals Amphibians ReptilesBirdsFW Fish ButterfliesDragonfliesPlants
Butterflies 15847 records for threatened & rare spp.
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KBA criterion A: Threatened species and ecosystems
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Criterion A1: Threatened species• Site has >0.5% of the global population of a CR or EN species• Site has >1% of the global population of a VU species
Site containing threatened species
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• Site has >0.5% of the global population of a CR or EN species• Site has >1% of the global population of a VU species
Site containing threatened species
KBA site
• 3654 (80%) of sites qualify
• 279 species trigger >10 sites
• 21 species trigger >50 sites
• 12% of sites currently protected
Criterion A1: Threatened species
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KBA criterion B: Geographically restricted species & ecosystems
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This criterion will add many more sites especially in mountainous areas.
1500 rare plants 200 Lepidoptera
A globally restricted species is considered one endemic to an ecoregion. • Rarity categories for
species in South Africa –‐Rare (global range
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KBA criterion C: Ecological intactness
‐identified case by case through expert consultation
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KBA criterion D: Biological processes: aggregations, refugia & sources of recruitment
‐identified case by case through expert consultation
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KBA criterion E: Quantitative irreplaceability
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Key Biodiversity Areas
• KBAs are identified independently of one another.
• Site based – an area under compatible management.
• Sites qualify as KBAs if they meet the tresholdsof KBA criteria.
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Critical Biodiversity Areas in Systematic Biodiversity Planning
• Set biodiversity targets that ensure ecosystems and species are represented.
• Ensuring connectivity for long term persistence of biodiversity.
• Plans are conducted taking into account all land uses in the planning domain.
• Biodiversity plans are efficient – CBA and ESA selection are based on complimentarity, optimal configuration.
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• Spatial plan for ecological sustainability of the landscape
• Spatially efficient as possible – optimal configuration of areas needed to remain natural
• Systematic & coherent connected network
• Each CBA is part of a connected puzzle
• Used in LUPDM e.g. SDFs, EMFs, SEAs, EIAs
• Key sites of globally significant unique biodiversity
• Threshold based approach, no concern for efficiency and complimentarity.
• Site qualifying against a set of criteria
• Each KBA is stand alone
• Used for global comparison of sites for global lobbying & for global biodiversity reporting
Key Biodiversity AreasCBAs in SBP
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Way forward
• South Africa will be testing the new KBA criteria on our globally unique data.
• SANBI and BirdLife are working together to raise funds to identify KBAs using all available data.
• Feedback into the global process on how reasonable thresholds are and the delineation of sites.
• South Africa’s KBAs will be fed into the global database of KBAs.
• The status of KBAs will be fed into future NBAs, and international reporting such as CBD & SDG country reporting.