Protected area networks are vital for conservation, but have many gaps

Many nations have extensive systems of protected areas which form one of the most valuable means of biodiversity conservation. Although the global protected area network is hugely important—over 100,000 areas covering more than 10% of the world’s land surface are under some kind of designation—analysis has shown there are still serious gaps in coverage, with globally significant biodiversity sometimes entirely unprotected. Important Bird Areas (IBAs) make a crucial contribution to identifying exactly where the gaps are in the protected area system. A high proportion of IBAs remain unprotected, including many which hold globally threatened birds () and these are therefore priorities for appropriate forms of statutory recognition and protection. The IBA Protection Index helps to track trends in the designation of protected areas that are important for biodiversity ().

• Many African IBAs, including those holding threatened birds, have no legal recognition or protection
• The IBA Protection Index tracks trends in the protection of key areas for biodiversity

Important Bird Areas are helping to fill protected-area gaps

Gaps in protection are being filled, in at least some parts of the world (). In the European Union, where Member States are required to designate 'Special Protection Areas' under the legal instrument of the Birds Directive, Important Bird Areas (IBAs) have been recognised as a 'shadow' list of Special Protection Areas and inform the process of site designation in many countries. This has led to a slow but significant increase in recent years in the number of IBAs granted legal protection () while studies have shown that the key bird species are doing better in those Member States that have designated larger proportions of their territory as Special Protection Areas (). In Africa and Asia, the IBA programme is also having an impact on the designation of new protected areas (, , ). Legal protection, although not always the answer can help: in Kenya at least, those IBAs which have formal protection are doing rather better overall than those which do not ().

• The impact of Important Bird Area directories
• In the European Union there has been slow but significant progress in the legal recognition of IBAs
• Maintaining bird populations in Special Protection Areas in the European Union
• In Africa, recognition of the value of IBAs is resulting in the designation of new protected areas
• Identification of Lo Go Xa Mat as an IBA in Vietnam resulted in its being declared a national park
• In Timor-Leste, in 2007, three IBAs were linked and protected as the first National Park
• In Kenya, IBA monitoring shows the value of formal protection for biodiversity conservation

There are many different ways to keep Important Bird Areas safe

Incorporating Important Bird Areas (IBAs) into formal protected-area networks may not always be feasible. It is also not always desirable—it could be counter-productive, if, for example, it disrupts existing traditional land-use practices that are responsible for creating or maintaining a site’s significance. Indeed, the best way to conserve an area’s biodiversity can range widely, depending on circumstances—from strict protection to community management for sustainable use (). For currently unprotected IBAs, a diversity of approaches may need to be considered, including private reserves, conservation easements, forest concessions and community conservation contracts. Whatever the governance model for an IBA, community engagement and involvement in its conservation will usually be desirable—and often essential. This is increasingly being achieved through the actions of Local Conservation Groups, who raise awareness in site-adjacent communities and help protect and monitor IBAs (, ). The results of such local involvement can lead to significant conservation benefit, even in difficult circumstances (). The threats from climate change bring new and growing challenges; the existing IBA network (complemented by adaptation measures and adding new sites) will play a key role in mitigating climate change impacts on birds and other biodiversity ().

• Protected-area designation may not be the full, or best, solution for conserving African IBAs
• The Berga Floodplain Site Support Group - a local initiative for a globally important site
• Working together to conserve flamingos at a network of sites in the High Andes
• Safeguarding Important Bird Areas is key to tackling conservation in the face of climate change
• Community conservation action is showing success on Mount Oku, Cameroon

Safeguard measures for development finance are essential

Species and sites face an array of threats and these may include planned developments funded by a range of financial institutions, Over the years, most of these institutions have developed so-called safeguard policies, against which all proposed finance or loans are ‘tested’ to make sure that will not have a negative environmental or social impact. These include the World Bank’s Natural Habitats Operational Policy (OP4), and the International Finance Corporation’s ‘Performance Standard 6: Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Natural Resources Management’. Applying these is helping to ensure that projects posing significant risks to Important Bird Areas and other sites are shelved or redesigned at an early stage in any planning cycle. 

Environmental Impact Assessment is key to development planning

Planning at local, sub-national, and national level needs accurate and up-to-date information to ensure that key sites are kept safe and the impacts of specific developments need to be carefully assessed. A range of Strategic and specific Environmental Impact Assessment regulation and legislation is now enshrined under national law, and integrated widely into regional and multilateral agreements. An Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is a key tool in demonstrating the risks posed by developments—like roads or mines—to critical biodiversity (). To be effective, however, EIAs must be carried out rigorously and their recommendations (which could be to halt or radically redesign projects) applied. Where this is not the case, the biodiversity information available for IBAs provides a firm basis for challenge.

• IBAT tools for Environmental Impact Assessments