Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2022L01285:reg:2:p12
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2022L01285
Segment Type: reg
Provision Reference: reg 2 (pt 12/14)
Character Range: 64599–67659

five categories: threatened biodiversity, geographically restricted biodiversity, ecological integrity, biological processes, and irreplaceability. The KBA criteria have quantitative thresholds and can be applied to species and ecosystems in terrestrial, inland water and marine environments. These thresholds ensure that only those sites with significant populations of a species or extent of an ecosystem are identified as global KBAs. Species or ecosystems that are the basis for identifying a KBA are referred to as Trigger species.
The global KBA partnership supports nations to identify KBAs within their country by working with a range of governmental and non-governmental organisations scientific species experts and conservation planners. Defining KBAs and their management within protected areas or through Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures (OECMS) will assist the Australian Government to meet its obligations to international treaties, such as the Convention on Biological Diversity. KBAs are also integrated in industry standards such as those applied by the Forest Stewardship Council or the Equator Principles adopted by financial institutions to determine environmental risk in projects.
The initial identification of a site as a KBA is unrelated to its legal status as it is determined primarily based on the distribution of one or more Trigger species at the site. However, existing protected areas will often inform the final KBA delineation, because KBAs are defined with site management in mind (KBA Standards and Appeals Committee 2019). In practice, if an existing protected area roughly matches a KBA, it will generally be used for delineating the KBA. Many KBAs overlap wholly with existing protected area boundaries, including sites designated under international conventions (for example, Ramsar and World Heritage) and areas protected at national and local levels (for example, national parks). However, not all KBAs are protected areas and not all protected areas are KBAs. It is recognised that other management approaches may also be appropriate to safeguard KBAs. The identification of a site as a KBA highlights the site's exceptional status and critical importance on a global scale for the persistence of the biodiversity values for which it has been declared for (particular Trigger species or habitats) and implies that the site should be managed in ways that ensure the persistence of these elements. More information about KBAs is available at: keybiodiversityareas.org/home.

The global KBA partnership currently recognises four Key Biodiversity Areas as important for albatross and petrel conservation in Australia's jurisdiction and to support the long-term persistence of the species. KBAs are also undergoing a regular revision to ensure changes in IUCN Red List status, taxonomic changes, local population trends, as well as increased knowledge of the species are reflected accurately in the KBA network. As such, over time, additional KBAs may be recognised for their importance for albatrosses and