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Fungi are crucial to nearly all life on Earth, but they are not given the recognition they deserve. Will you join our mission to change that?
Fungi are crucial to nearly all life on Earth, but they are not given the recognition and investment they deserve. Will you join our mission to change that?
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Identify and map plant species and Important Plant Areas to inform land use planning.
1. Identify and map, where possible, all plant species in terrestrial, inland water, marine and coastal ecosystems, including at the population level, as well as areas and ecosystems important for plant diversity, using diverse knowledge systems.
“The worldwide efforts to define Important Plant Areas (IPA) and Key Biodiversity Areas (KBA) can provide a valuable measure of baselines and progress towards the implementation of this Action and achievement of Target 4. An IPA is defined as a natural or semi-natural site exhibiting exceptional botanical richness and/or supporting an outstanding assemblage of rare, threatened and/or endemic plant species and/or vegetation of high botanic value. In describing IPAs, the word ‘plant’ encompasses algae, fungi, lichens, liverworts, mosses, and wild vascular plants. IPAs are a site-based approach for the conservation of plants at a national level and forms a subset of KBAs around the world. In addition to IPAs and KBAs, a range of different methodologies and systems are in use in different countries worldwide to identify and help define the important areas for plant diversity at national, regional and local levels. Such systems can be used to help achieve this Action.
Use of scientific, indigenous and local knowledge is required to achieve this Action and should follow participatory and inclusive processes, to ensure that the perspectives, knowledge, and rights of various stakeholders are considered and integrated into the spatial planning and land management processes. Additionally, it may be beneficial to establish in situ demonstration sites of biodiversity conservation for the purpose of developing cases studies, practices and for learning purposes for those in spatial planning and land management. These can be used to ‘bench-mark’ actions.”
Plan and Manage all Areas To Reduce Biodiversity Loss
“Ensure that all areas are under participatory, integrated, and biodiversity inclusive spatial planning and/or effective management processes addressing land and sea use change, to bring the loss of areas of high biodiversity importance, including ecosystems of high ecological integrity, close to zero by 2030, while respecting the rights of indigenous peoples and local communities.”
IPAs are a well-established and globally recognised tool to help halt species extinction and restore plant and fungi diversity. The identification of an IPA is based on meeting one or more of these 3 criteria:
More than 70 countries across the world are identifying and managing their IPAs to cherish, protect, celebrate and restore their native wild plants and habitats. In many countries IPAs are at the heart of:
The first IPA criteria were developed by Plantlife International in 2001. A Global IPA Network is working to secure IPA recognition and the investment required for every country to identify, protect, restore and celebrate these special areas for plant diversity.
Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) are the most important places in the world for species and their habitats. Faced with a global environmental crisis we need to focus our collective efforts on conserving the places that matter most. The KBA Programme supports the identification, mapping, monitoring and conservation of KBAs to help safeguard the most critical sites for nature on our planet – from rainforests to reefs, mountains to marshes, deserts to grasslands and to the deepest parts of the oceans.
The Key Biodiversity Area Partnership – an ambitious partnership of 13 global conservation organizations – is helping prevent the rapid loss of biodiversity by supporting nationally led efforts to identify these places on the planet that are critical for the survival of unique plants and animals, and the ecological communities they comprise. To date, the partnership and other interested groups have mapped more than 16,000 KBAs worldwide, safeguarding important populations of more than 13,100 species of conservation concern.
Important Plant Areas (IPAs)
Key Biodiversity Areas
Explore the other Global Plant Actions
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