Eleutério Duarte, a WCS biologist and project assistant at WCS-Mozambique, with experience in conducting KBAs assessments, led a webinar entitled “Identifying and proposing KBAs / Relevance of the IUCN Red List on the KBA identification process: Mozambique example.
Mozambique was one of the first countries worldwide to complete a comprehensive national KBA assessment, applying the 2016 Global Standard to a broad range of biodiversity. Taking into account the experience and the successful KBA assessment, WCS Mozambique was invited to present one of the sessions of the international webinar series organized by the KBA Secretariat, in partnership with the Global Center for Species Survival and the IUCN Species Survival Commission.
Thus, on March 21st 2023, Eleutério Duarte, a young Mozambican biologist and project assistant at WCS-Mozambique, with experience in conducting KBAs assessments, led the fourth webinar of the series (repeated in two sessions) entitled “Identifying and proposing KBAs / Relevance of the IUCN Red List on the KBA identification process: Mozambique example”.
Eleutério described the main steps that led to the identification of KBAs in Mozambique, including the creation of a national coordination group, and how to conduct species’ red list assessments. He also demonstrated in practical terms how KBAs are being used in the decision-making process in Mozambique as (i) tools to help mitigate the impacts of development projects, (ii) inform national spatial plans, (iii) strengthen the conservation policy/legal framework, and (iv) support strategic expansion of the national network of Protected Areas.
A total of 101 participants from 51 countries across all continents attended the webinar, which included representatives from public and private organizations with interests in biodiversity issues. Additional webinar information is available at: https://www.indianapoliszoo.com/gcss/event/kba-webinar-4/.
Full recording of the webinar available at:
https://protect-us.mimecast.com/s/6m_QCERv3oCnM1KMCNCWDo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-aqB-5GbPTc