Biodiversity

A National Standard for the Identification of Key Biodiversity Areas in Canada: Version 2.0

KBA Canada Coalition

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The National Standard for the Identification of Key Biodiversity Areas in Canada (2.0) is Canada's national adaptation of the Global KBA Standard.

Key points

This document provides the criteria, thresholds, definitions, and delineation and review procedures used to identify sites of significance for the persistence of biodiversity across the country. Developed and revised by WCS Canada scientists on behalf of the KBA Canada Coalition, this version reflects updated ecosystem criteria thresholds based on empirical testing led by Wildlife Conservation Society and Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) Canada.

1. Canada leads the way. Canada is the first country to develop a formal National KBA Standard, adapting the Global KBA Standard (IUCN, 2016) to the national context — a model other countries may follow for sub-global KBA identification. The KBA Canada initiative identifies both global and national KBAs in parallel.
2. Rigorous, objective, and science-based. KBAs are identified using quantitative thresholds across 11 criteria (grouped under threatened biodiversity, geographically restricted biodiversity, ecological integrity, biological processes, and irreplaceability). Sites cannot be negotiated or rejected once a threshold is credibly met.
3. Broad in scope. The Standard applies across taxonomic groups and ecosystems, in terrestrial, subterranean, inland water, and marine environments, capturing everything from single rare species to large-scale ecological processes.
4. Built on precedent and testing. Version 2.0 reflects broad empirical testing of ecosystem criteria thresholds (led by WCS/WCS Canada) and peer review by seven external reviewers.
5. A living, collaborative standard. Developed by the KBA Canada Coalition with input from federal, provincial, territorial, and Indigenous partners, the standard will continue to be updated periodically as identification experience grows and Global KBA Guidelines evolve.

Recommended citation

KBA Canada Coalition (2026). A National Standard for the Identification of Key Biodiversity Areas in Canada: Version 2.0. Wildlife Conservation Society Canada [WCS Canada]. https://doi.org/10.19121/2026.Report.39502.v2