Assessing the protection of Key Biodiversity Areas in mountains at conservation-relevant scales

Abstract Indicators of biodiversity protection at the national level are used to assess progress toward global goals. However, they provide little information at scales relevant for conservation and management. Hence we provide an area-based alternative to the current indicator calculated at the level of individual mountain ranges, which is directly relevant for assessing progress toward SDG 15.4.1. This allows identifying mountain areas in need of enhanced conservation efforts, within and across countries.