Ka`u Calendar News Briefs Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2016

ELEVEN OF THE WORLD’S leading conservation organizations will partner to identify, map, monitor and conserve Key Biodiversity Areas – places that include vital habitats for threatened species – with more than $15 million committed over the next five years. The announcement was made at the IUCN World Conservation Congress currently taking place on O`ahu.

      Through the KBA Partnership, resources and expertise will be mobilized to further identify and map Key Biodiversity Areas worldwide. Monitoring of these sites will enable detection of potential threats and identification of appropriate conservation actions. The Partnership will also advise national governments in expanding their protected areas network and will work with private companies to ensure they minimize and mitigate their impact on nature.

      “This is a vitally important initiative for our planet’s biodiversity,” said Braulio Ferreira de Souza Dias, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity. “This partnership will enhance global conservation efforts by highlighting internationally important sites in need of urgent conservation action. It will also help us reach the targets in the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity and allow national governments and conservation organizations to ensure that scarce resources are directed to the most important places for nature.”
      The International Union for Conservation of Nature has engaged with hundreds of experts and decision-makers to develop a Global Standard for the Identification of Key Biodiversity Areas. The standard was launched during the World Conservation Congress, on Monday.

      “Our planet is at the crossroads, and we need to take urgent action if we want to secure its ability to support us,” said Inger Andersen, Director General of IUCN. “Information about where and why a site is considered key for the survival of threatened species underpins all sustainable development and will be critical for achieving Sustainable Development Goals.”

      In particular, knowledge about Key Biodiversity Areas will contribute to achievement of goals on conservation and sustainable use oceans and to manage forests, combat desertification and halt land degradation.
      The KBA Partnership builds on the partners’ established track record in site identification, monitoring and conservation. Over the past four decades, BirdLife International has identified more than 13,000 Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas on land and at sea in every region of the world through its 120 national partners and others, while the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund has supported identification of 6,000 Key Biodiversity Areas within global biodiversity hotspots.
      To date, more than 18,000 global and regional Key Biodiversity Areas have been identified and mapped. These include Molokai Island marine area, home to the Critically Endangered coral Porites pukoensis, known only to occur in the shallow waters of this site.
      The new Partnership will unite these efforts under a single KBA umbrella. It will expand the KBA network to cover other species and ecosystems using the global KBA standard. These data will guide decision-makers on areas that require safeguarding and will help a range of end users to define their conservation priorities, achieve their international commitments, and comply with their environmental policies.
      KBA Partners are the Amphibian Survival Alliance, BirdLife International, Conservation International, Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund, Global Environment Facility, Global Wildlife Conservation, IUCN, NatureServe, RSPB, Wildlife Conservation Society and the World Wildlife Fund.

      “Advancing and implementing successful conservation solutions depends on clearly identified global strategies,” said Naoko Ishii, Global Environment Facility CEO. “In this regard, we are proud to be one of the founding members of this exciting new partnership to help map and protect some of the planet's most valuable biodiversity.”

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KA`U HIGH CROSS COUNTRY team has started its season. Two runners participated in the race on Aug. 27 at HPA. It was warm and sunny in Waimea on the first race of the season, which makes the hill at HPA extra challenging, reports coach Erin Cole. The race changed this year from three miles to 5K (5K is 3.1 miles). 

      Brennen Nishimura came in with a time of 26:32 – #101 out of 177. Kyle Calumpit ran a time of 27:32 – #118 out of 177.

      The Trojans have several more runners that have been training and will be running in future races this season. The race scheduled for Sept. 3 at Kealakehe was cancelled due to the storm. Next race is at Kamehameha School on Sept. 10 at 2 p.m.

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HAWAI`I COUNTY COUNCIL HOLDS meetings this week. Tomorrow, the full council meets at 9 a.m. Public Safety & Mass Transit Committee meets at 1 p.m.; Finance, 1:15 p.m.; Planning, 1:30 p.m.; Public Works & Parks & Recreation, 2 p.m.; and Governmental Relations & Economic Development, 2:45 p.m.
      The Committee on Finance conducts a workshop to discuss the county’s Dedicated and Nondedicated Agricultural Real Property Tax Programs on Thursday at 9 a.m.
      Testimony from the public will be taken at the beginning. “Healthy and structured interaction between stakeholders, committee members and members of the public” will be encouraged during the workshop, according to the announcement.
      All meetings take place at Council Chambers in Hilo. Agendas and live-streaming are available athawaii.county.gov.
      Ka`u residents can participate via teleconferencing at Na`alehu State Office Building.

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