title: Quantifying the relative irreplaceability of important bird and biodiversity areas.
abstract: World governments have committed to increase the global protected areas coverage by 2020, but the effectiveness of this commitment for protecting biodiversity depends on where new protected areas are located. Threshold- and complementarity-based approaches have been independently used to identify important sites for biodiversity. We brought together these approaches by performing a complementarity-based analysis of irreplaceability in important bird and biodiversity areas (IBAs), which are sites identified using a threshold-based approach. We determined whether irreplaceability values are higher inside than outside IBAs and whether any observed difference depends on known characteristics of the IBAs. We focused on 3 regions with comprehensive IBA inventories and bird distribution atlases: Australia, southern Africa, and Europe. Irreplaceability values were significantly higher inside than outside IBAs, although differences were much smaller in Europe than elsewhere. Higher irreplaceability values in IBAs were associated with the presence and number of restricted-range species; number of criteria under which the site was identified; and mean geographic range size of the species for which the site was identified (trigger species). In addition, IBAs were characterized by higher irreplaceability values when using proportional species representation targets, rather than fixed targets. There were broadly comparable results when measuring irreplaceability for trigger species and when considering all bird species, which indicates a good surrogacy effect of the former. Recently, the International Union for Conservation of Nature has convened a consultation to consolidate global standards for the identification of key biodiversity areas (KBAs), building from existing approaches such as IBAs. Our results informed this consultation, and in particular a proposed irreplaceability criterion that will allow the new KBA standard to draw on the strengths of both threshold- and complementarity-based approaches.
authors: Global Mammal Assessment Program, Department of Biology and Biotechnologies, SapienzaUniversità di Roma, viale dell' Università 32, 00185, Rome, Italy.|ARC Centre of Excellence for Environmental Decisions, Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, The University of Queensland, 4072, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.|School of Geography, Planning and Environmental Management, The University of Queensland, 4072, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
authors: Moreno
authors: M
authors: Di Marco
authors: International Union for Conservation of Nature, 28 rue Mauverney, 1196, Gland, Switzerland.|World Agroforestry Center (ICRAF), University of the Philippines Los Baños, Laguna, 4031, Philippines.|School of Geography and Environmental Studies, University of Tasmania, Hobart TAS, 7001, Australia.
authors: Thomas
authors: T
authors: Brooks
authors: International Union for Conservation of Nature, Sheraton House Castle Park, Cambridge, CB3 0AX, United Kingdom.
authors: Annabelle
authors: A
authors: Cuttelod
authors: BirdLife International, Wellbrook Court, Girton Road, Cambridge, CB3 0NA, United Kingdom.
authors: Lincoln D C
authors: LD
authors: Fishpool
authors: Global Mammal Assessment Program, Department of Biology and Biotechnologies, SapienzaUniversità di Roma, viale dell' Università 32, 00185, Rome, Italy.
authors: Carlo
authors: C
authors: Rondinini
authors: Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology, School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, CT2 7NR, United Kingdom.
authors: Robert J
authors: RJ
authors: Smith
authors: The Biodiversity Consultancy Ltd, 3E King's Parade, Cambridge, CB2 1SJ, United Kingdom.
authors: Leon
authors: L
authors: Bennun
authors: BirdLife International, Wellbrook Court, Girton Road, Cambridge, CB3 0NA, United Kingdom.
authors: Stuart H M
authors: SH
authors: Butchart
authors: CSIRO Land and Water Flagship, GPO Box 1700, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia.
authors: Simon
authors: S
authors: Ferrier
authors: Sovon, Dutch Centre for Field Ornithology, P.O. Box 6521, 6503, GA Nijmegen, The Netherlands.|European Bird Census Council, P.O. Box 6521, 6503, GA, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.|Radboud University, Institute for Water and Wetland Research, Department of Animal Ecology and Ecophysiology, P.O. Box 9100, 6500, GL, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
authors: Ruud P B
authors: RP
authors: Foppen
authors: Microsoft Research, Redmond, Washington, U.S.A.
authors: Lucas
authors: L
authors: Joppa
authors: United Nations Environment Programme-World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC), 219 Huntingdon Road, CB3 0DL, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
authors: Diego
authors: D
authors: Juffe-Bignoli
authors: ARC Centre of Excellence for Environmental Decisions, Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, The University of Queensland, 4072, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.|Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Buckhurst Road, Ascot, Berkshire, SL5 7PY, United Kingdom.|Department of Botany, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, P.O. Box 77000, Port Elizabeth, 6031, South Africa.
authors: Andrew T
authors: AT
authors: Knight
authors: National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Washington, D.C., 20005, U.S.A.
authors: John F
authors: JF
authors: Lamoreux
authors: School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, P.O. Box 874601, Tempe, Arizona, 85287-4601, U.S.A.
authors: Penny F
authors: PF
authors: Langhammer
authors: BirdLife International, Wellbrook Court, Girton Road, Cambridge, CB3 0NA, United Kingdom.
authors: Ian
authors: I
authors: May
authors: ARC Centre of Excellence for Environmental Decisions, Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, The University of Queensland, 4072, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.|Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Buckhurst Road, Ascot, Berkshire, SL5 7PY, United Kingdom.
authors: Hugh P
authors: HP
authors: Possingham
authors: Microsoft Research, Redmond, Washington, U.S.A.
authors: Piero
authors: P
authors: Visconti
authors: Global Conservation Program, Wildlife Conservation Society, 2300 Southern Boulevard, Bronx, New York, 10460, U.S.A.
authors: James E M
authors: JE
authors: Watson
authors: WCPA-SSC Joint Task Force on Biodiversity and Protected Areas, International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), 64 Juniper Road, Chelsea, Quebec, J9B 1T3, Canada.
authors: Stephen
authors: S
authors: Woodley
mesh_terms: D000353:Africa, Southern; D063147:Animal Distribution; D000818:Animals; D001315:Australia; D044822:Biodiversity; D001717:Birds / Q000502:physiology*; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources / Q000379:methods*; D017753:Ecosystem; D005060:Europe
keywords: Convención sobre la Diversidad Biológica; carácter irreemplazable; complementareidad; complementarity; convention on biological diversity; especies amenazadas; especies con extensión restringida; irreplaceability; key biodiversity areas; planeación de la conservación sistemática; restricted-range species; systematic conservation planning; threatened species; áreas claves de biodiversidad