The 11th Pacific Islands Conference for Nature Conservation has just wrapped up at the beautiful Tjibaou Cultural Centre in New Caledonia where I had the pleasure of making two KBA-focused presentations across two different conference streams. (Homepage about-intro | PIRT)
Species & Ecosystems:
Species as the core building blocks to identify KBAs in Fiji, Palau and Vanuatu. Exploring how good species science and reporting can trigger KBA criteria, strengthen conservation planning, and highlight where more work is needed.
Area-based Conservation & Connectivity:
KBA – A tool for identifying and prioritising areas of global biodiversity significance. Showcasing how existing KBA data can support protected area planning, NBSAP and CBD reporting, and links with wider IUCN tools.
The discussions highlighted some exciting opportunities to better connect species assessments, Red Listing, KBA identification, Green Listing and area-based conservation, including stronger pathways for species data and research to contribute to conservation outcomes and funding opportunities.
There were also interest in strengthening national KBA processes, including getting National Coordination Groups (NCGs) up and running and updating historical data to keep KBA information current.
A great reminder that when we connect the dots between species, data, KBAs and conservation action, we can make the science work harder for nature!
Presentation on the Tools for Achieving 30x30 Target Panel, Area-Based Conservation Stream. 09 September 2026.