Abstract

Effective allocation of limited conservation resources is important for the preservation of global biodiversity. Well-established protected areas increase the likelihood of preserving species and habitats most at risk of extirpation, but traditional methods of choosing their placement using biological proxies are sometimes inadequate for targeting biodiversi-ty conservation. A methodology for identifying Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs), determined by specific criteria and thresholds, was proposed in 2016 by International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). These are founded on the principles of vulnerability and irreplaceability to iteratively identify sites where species and habitats are most urgently in need of protection. KBAs for marine vertebrates in the Greater Caribbean are identified using species-specific threat statuses, distribution, occurrence and population data. A number of KBAs are triggered within the boundaries of existing sites of conservation importance, such as Alliance for Zero Extinctions sites and Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas, while others are identified at sites previously unknown for their potential conservation value. These proposed KBAs provide spatial biodiversity data for local stakeholders and resource managers to refine plans for regional and national protected area networks to ensure they include sites most important to biodiversity conservation.

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