BirdLife International Data Zone

Meeting the 2020 biodiversity targets: action and monitoring based on birds was launched at CBD COP10 in Nagoya, and outlines in detail how the wealth of data available for birds can be used to set conservation priorities and track success.

Strengthening Protected Area systems

Important Bird Areas (IBAs) represent a core set of the most important sites for biodiversity conservation across the globe. The Data zone provides comprehensive accounts for over 10,000 sites.

IBAs show where there are gaps in the existing protected areas network, helping CBD Parties implement the Programme of Work on Protected Areas (PoWPA). To access currently available gap analysis maps click here.

Preventing extinctions

The Data Zone provides comprehensive accounts of the world’s 10,024 recognised bird species—with detailed and up-to-date information on their biology, distribution, threats and the latest IUCN Red List categories. Governments can access distribution maps of all threatened and near threatened species for use with GIS mapping software.

In-depth case studies

State of the world’s birds on the Data Zone shows in detail how bird data can be used to monitor change and set conservation priorities, and highlights successful conservation approaches. Birds are an ideal indicator group because they are widespread, well studied, and highly responsive to environmental change.

Some useful case studies

• The IUCN Red List Index (RLI) for birds clearly shows trends in the status of biodiversity based on the changing threat status of species (, , ).
• The European Wild Bird Indices shows trends in environmental and habitat quality based on representative bird populations ().
• The Climatic Impact Index for European birds quantifies the impact that climate change is already having on biodiversity ().
• Bird data can support incorporation of biodiversity concerns into national planning. The UK government’s Quality of Life indicator based on wild bird populations is an example ().
• The IBA Protection Index measures coverage of these priority sites by protected areas, a metric to judge progress in reducing biodiversity loss (, ).
• IBA state, pressure and response indicators, based on IBA monitoring by national BirdLife Partners, show trends across this key set of sites—an important indication of how biodiversity is faring overall (, ).

• The Spotlight on birds as indicators summarises how birds can be used as indicators of environmental change.
• The Spotlight on IBAs summarises how Important Bird Areas can focus and advance biodiversity conservation.
• The Spotlight on climate change examines how climate change is already having a profound impact on birds, biodiversity and humankind.
• The Spotlight on conservation success stories examines how, given sufficient resources and political will, species can recover and habitats can be restored.

Handy national summaries that link to all relevant sections of the Data Zone, including State of the world’s birds case studies, showing the extent of scientific data available through the Data Zone at the national level.

Bird information helps to develop adaptive management responses to the impacts of climate change. A suite of maps, showing how the ranges of the majority of bird species breeding in sub-Saharan Africa could be impacted by climate change, is made available on the Africa Climate Exchange website. The maps have been developed collaboratively by BirdLife International and Durham University with data provided by the Zoological Museum of the University of Copenhagen.