Job Description

We're BirdLife International, the only global Partnership conserving birds and all life on our planet. We exist to give one voice to nature, and to unite and strengthen conservation across borders.


We are looking for volunteers to help improve boundaries of marine Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) by interrogating relevant species-specific and geographic information. In this role, you will be provided with GIS training (where necessary) to allow you to review and make relevant amendments to the boundaries of KBAs requiring improvements.


BirdLife is responsible for managing spatial and tabular data on the >16,500 KBAs on behalf of the KBA partnership (keybiodiversityareas.org). The current network consists both of KBAs proposed since the publication of the KBA Global Standard in 2016 and sites identified prior to this using pre-existing criteria, such as those used to identify BirdLife's Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBAs). The historical nature of some of these datasets means that the spatial data held in many of them are outdated or somewhat inaccurate due to various limitations (availability of high-quality basemaps and GIS functionality) at the time of their identification. This task is focussed on a set of around 3,500 KBAs that have been identified in the marine environment. We have identified a portion of these that require attention - many of these are the correct shape and size but have been projected incorrectly meaning they do not sit in the correct locations and need to be moved, others were digitised using other projections and need to be re-digitised.


KBAs are already used in a range of conservation applications. They have informed the designation of new protected areas and serve as the network of important sites used to report national protected area coverage for the Sustainable Development Goals. KBAs also form part of the Integrated Biodiversity Assessment Tool (IBAT), which supports businesses and investors in assessing potential biodiversity impacts of development projects. Maintaining accurate and precise GIS data for KBAs is crucial in order to maximise their conservation impact through these mechanisms.

How you will do this:

Join us on remote, online introductory sessions with BirdLife staff and on further drop-in meetings if needed We are proposing that volunteers undertaking this work use either ESRI software (ArcGIS) or QGIS. For those who don't have any software we are promoting QGIS for the task, because it is free, and is a powerful GIS package that includes all the necessary tools. Become familiar with ArcGIS or QGIS (QGIS users to work independently to follow and complete necessary parts of the QGIS training manual) Focus your efforts on an agreed pre-defined area of the world and review and re-digitise KBA polygons that need attention. Record details of the amendments made to each KBA within a standard shared MS Excel file. Once complete, return your amended polygons to the KBA secretariat

What we are looking for:

Someone who is interesting in learn more about the applications of GIS and spatial data in conservation You will be required to work on these tasks remotely so you must have a computer with QGIS (Spatial without Compromise QGIS Web Site) or your own alternative installed. Training will be provided for QGIS.

Some of our benefits:

Opportunity to work with an international NGO on a practical conservation task Develop skills in editing and management of spatial data Gain knowledge and experience of our work with KBAs
BirdLife values a diverse workforce and welcomes applications from all sections of the community. Find out more about our Diversity statement.


We are committed to building and maintaining an inclusive and supportive culture, a place where we can all be ourselves and succeed on merit. We aim to promote a more inclusive environment, which attracts all candidates and signals our commitment to celebrate and promote diversity.


We will consider putting into place appropriate reasonable adjustments for candidates who may have a disability.