All confirmed AZE sites are Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs), ‘sites contributing significantly to the global persistence of biodiversity.’ Sites qualify as global KBAs if they meet one or more of 11 criteria, grouped into five categories: threatened biodiversity; geographically restricted biodiversity; ecological integrity; biological processes; and irreplaceability. Currently, there are over 18,000 KBAs globally documented in the World Database on Key Biodiversity Areas.

All confirmed AZE sites qualify as KBAs under KBA criterion A1 because they “hold a significant proportion of the global population size of a species facing a high risk of extinction, and so contribute to the global persistence of biodiversity at genetic and species levels” – specifically criterion A1e, because they “regularly hold effectively the entire global population size of a CR or EN species.”

The 2018 AZE update identified 853 AZE sites worldwide, which will be included in the next update of the KBA website and the Integrated Biodiversity Assessment Tool.

AZE sites are those KBAs in most urgent need of conservation in order to prevent imminent global extinction. In terms of irreplaceability of sites for species, AZE sites are the ‘tip of the iceberg’ of KBAs requiring safeguarding.

The Key Biodiversity Areas Partnership brings together 13 of the world’s leading global conservation organizations who have committed to mobilize the expertise, experience and resources of the partner organizations to: identify, map and document Key Biodiversity Areas worldwide; promote targeted conservation action in Key Biodiversity Areas; and inform and influence public policy and private sector decision-making. The work of the KBA Partnership encompasses efforts to conserve and safeguard AZE sites. The Partnership comprises American Bird Conservancy (ABC), BirdLife International, International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Amphibian Survival Alliance, Conservation International, Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund, Global Environment Facility, Global Wildlife Conservation, NatureServe, Rainforest Trust, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, Wildlife Conservation Society, and World Wildlife Fund.

Further information on the value of KBAs (including AZEs) to end-users, such as Guidelines on business and KBAs: Managing risk to biodiversity, and Guidance on the relationship between KBAs and Protected Areas, can be consulted for additional information on safeguarding AZE sites.

More information on Key Biodiversity Areas can be found here.