Don’t just cover it up: Questions of Effectiveness in Relation to Conservation Targets

Despite the great efforts to meet conservation targets, the vision of the Convention of Biological Diversity to “halt biodiversity loss” is not being fulfilled. There is widespread agreement that conservation action needs to become bolder and more ambitious in response. However, a better understanding of the effects of conservation interventions could be the answer, so that future actions have maximum long-term impact on biodiversity. Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) and other effective area-based conservation measures (OECMs) are tools that can be used to explore the effects of conservation interventions and improve our understanding on conservation effectiveness. These outputs can inform future conservation target-setting and improve assessment of the status of biodiversity.