Many key biodiversity areas identified in Manitoba

The Wildlife Conservation Society of Canada has identified 75 sites across the province as potential candidates for designation as Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs).

The designation is a relatively new conservation standard adopted in Canada in 2021. KBAs are evaluated using international criteria that recognize special areas that support rare and threatened species and ecosystems, and areas of importance within the life cycles of certain species, such as migratory stopover sites and spawning sites. The wildlife conservation society is the lead organization in the KBA Canada Secretariat, a group that also includes Birds Canada and NatureServe Canada.

The KBA designation is based on a rigorous, numerically driven approval process that considers a huge amount of data about ecosystems.

Zack Moore, Manitoba KBA Regional Coordinator for the society, is tasked with wading through the data on these 75 Manitoba sites to identify whether they meet the criteria for KBA designation.