Abstract

This research was conducted to determine how Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs), areas that make a critical contribution to global biodiversity conservation, can contribute to solving societal challenges through Nature-based Solutions (NbS). To this end, a total of 21 documents, including international academic journals and institutional reports, were analyzed. Cases were classified and organized according to the seven major types of societal challenges defined by the International Union for Conservation of Nature NbS Global Standard. The analysis revealed that KBA-based NbS contributes most extensively in the ‘environmental degradation and biodiversity loss’ domain, aligning with the fundamental purpose of KBAs being biodiversity conservation. This was followed by contributions to water security, climate change mitigation and adaptation, and economic and social development. Conversely, case accumulation was limited in some areas, such as human health and food security, likely due to the relatively recent establishment of KBA standards. In terms of research scale, most studies were conducted at a global scale, while regionally, the most active NbS application was reported in Asia and Africa. This research demonstrates that KBAs can function as core spatial platforms for NbS implementation beyond simple protected areas. It also suggests that KBAs hold significant strategic value for achieving international environmental goals, such as the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and the Sustainable Development Goals.