Understanding the role and potential of
Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures (OECMs) in theAsia Pacific Region

South Asian consultation on the Post 2020 Global Biodiversity Framework

Opening Remarks

Madhu RaoChair
IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas

Nature is essential for humanexistence and good quality of life

Direct and indirect drivers ofchange have accelerated during
the past 50 years

Nature and its vital
contributions to people aredeteriorating worldwide© Harvey LockeDraft Target 3: Global Biodiversity Framework 1.030% by 2030

Equitably governed

Areas important forbiodiversity andecosystem services

Ecologicallyrepresentative

Effectively managed

Integrated into wider
landscapes andseascapes2020 Protected Planet Report

17% Terrestrial;
10% Marine

30% by 2030
(Terrestrial & Marine)

Terrestrial PA coverage

Marine PA coverage

Current coverage
Gap to achieve 30%

Current coverage
Gap to achieve 30%

Conservation
Challenges in Southand SE Asia
Land use change: Agriculturalexpansion and encroachment;
Biomass extraction
Wildlife crime andunsustainable exploitation

Extractive industries, energy
and linear infrastructureDams and hydropowerdevelopment

30x30 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS1. Does the 30% target apply equally to all countries?
The 30% Target is a GLOBAL Target
It will be applied differently across countries according to national circumstances

2. Can we afford 30x30?
Economic benefits of Protecting 30% of Planet’s Land and Ocean
Outweigh the Costs at Least 5-to-1© Daniil Silantev (Unsplash)3. How can achieving 30x30 be effectively financed?
Carbon storage
Paris Agreement
Nationally Determined Contributions

Biodiversity Loss andemergence of infectious
diseaseHuman health

ClimateMitigation

Biodiversity
Conservation inPCAs

Restoration

ClimateAdaptation

Disaster Risk Reduction

UN Decade of Restoration
Preventing, halting and reversing thedegradation of ecosystems worldwide

4. What counts to 30%?
SUSTAINABLE USE

70%

PAs
OECMs

30%
Production landscapes
Commercial Fisheries
Commercial logging areas
Agricultural plantations

Areas ofbiodiversity
importance
Government PAs
IPLCs
ICCAs
Privately Protected Areas
OECMs

5. Can Protecting Biodiversity help address the impactsof Climate Change?

Limiting global warming and protecting biodiversity
are mutually supporting goals,
and their achievement is essential for sustainably and equitably
providing benefits to people.

Actions to protect, sustainably manage and restore ecosystems have cobenefits for:climate mitigation, climate adaptation and biodiversity objectives.

Challenges and Opportunities to achieving 30x30 in South Asia

Achieving 30x30:
Key Lessons for PAs in South Asia
• PAs are the last strongholds for conserving

threatened species- including wide-ranging,flagship species• Community Institutions; Law enforcement• Science - evidence-based policy development• Biological corridors, connectivity and landscapeapproaches• Integration of indigenous knowledge

Protected areas: critically important tools for theconservation of biodiversity and ecosystem services• Civil society engagement and support• Political commitment

Need to improve effectiveness of existing protectedarea networks to achieve biodiversity outcomes.

CHALLENGES to ACHIEVING 30x30 in South Asia
Strengthening effectiveness of existing PA systems for Biodiversity outcomes, using rightsbased approaches and reducing threats affecting PAs
Needs: Financial investments, enabling policies, eliminating harmful subsidies
Protecting the right 30%- Where are the areas of high biodiversity importance?
Are they protected?
Needs: Spatial planning to identify priority sites that need urgent protection
Diversification in governance and management models for Protected Areas: ICCAs, PrivatelyProtected Areas, Public-private partnerships for PAs
Needs: Investments in suitable partnerships or governance models for PAs

Privately Protected Areas••

A privately protected area is a protected area, as defined
by IUCN, under private governance– Individuals and groups of individuals– Non-governmental organizations– Corporations (for-profit and conservation)– Research entities (universities, field stations)– Religious entities
May be particularly important to 30x30– Underreported globally– Connectivity and ecological representation– Essential to create enabling policy environment torecognize and report on such areas

http://privateconservation.net

Large areas of wildlife habitat lie outside formal PA systems

35% of India’s tiger range is outside protected areas:
UNEP-WWF Report 2021

Protected Areas in S. Asia
[N =928]~ 80% less than 100 km2
44% less than 5 km2
22% less than 1 km2
S. Chowdhury et al. 2022

Achieving 30% by 2030

• Both: PAs and OECMs• Political Will• Financing• Policy frameworks

Understanding Other Effective Area-based
Conservation Measures (OECMs)

OTHER EFFECTIVE AREA-BASED CONSERVATION MEASURES (OECMs)(CBD COP DECISION 14/8)
A geographically defined area other than a Protected Area

which is governed and managed…

in ways that achieve positive and sustained long-term outcomes
for the in situ conservation of biodiversity …

with associated ecosystem functions and services and whereapplicable, cultural, spiritual, socio-economic, and other locallyrelevant values.

© Daniil Silantev

CORE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
PAs AND OECMs

Protected areas must have aprimary conservation objective.

OECMs should deliver the effective
and enduring in-situ conservation ofbiodiversity, regardless of itsobjectives.

OECMs can have a range of governance types:*Government*Private*Indigenous peoples and local communities*SharedAchieves the in situ conservationconservation ofof biodiversity
biodiversity- Sacred natural sites- Military areas- War graves

More intention to conserve
biodiversity
Primary- ‘No-disturbance’areas

SecondaryAncillaryLess intention to conserve
biodiversity

SPECTRUM OF OECMs
Achieves the in situ conservation of biodiversity- Sacred natural sites- Military areas

More intention toconserve biodiversity- Areas that areprotected throughvery low-impact use- Watershed
protection areas- Ecosystem servicerelated wetlands

Primary- ‘No-disturbance’
areas

SecondaryAncillaryLess intention to conserve
biodiversity

SPECTRUM OF OECMs
Achieves the in situ conservation of biodiversity
More intention to conserve
biodiversity- Areas that areprotected throughvery low-impact use- Sacred natural sites- Watershed
protection areas- Military areas- Ecosystem servicerelated wetlands

Primary- ‘No-disturbance’areas

SecondaryAncillaryLess intention to conserve
biodiversity- ICCAs or privately
governed areas with a
primary conservation
objective…
... but the governanceauthority is unable tosecure PA designationor prefers not to berecognised as a PA

Systems of PAs and OECMs

CBD Decision 14/8 contains comprehensive guidance and new tools are available

CBD Decision 14/8 Annex 3:
GUIDING PRINCIPLES AND COMMON CHARACTERISTICS

OECMs should havesignificant biodiversity
valuesRecognition of OECMs provides anopportunity to support in situ
conservation of biodiversity over the
long-term in marine, terrestrial andfreshwater ecosystems under a rangeof governance and management
regimes;

OECMs have an important role inthe conservation of biodiversity
and ecosystem functions andservices, contributing to effective
conservation networks

OECMs are comparable andcomplementary to effective
protected areas in maintaining
biodiversity outcomes and contributeto the coherence and connectivity ofprotected area networks

Opportunities for OECMs• Opportunity to recognise, engage and support a range of rights-holders and partners
in local-to-global conservation efforts to secure positive and s sustained outcomes forbiodiversity• If within the territories of indigenous peoples and local communities, OECMs should
be recognized with the free, prior and informed consent of IPs• Designation of OECMs to expand and strengthen conservation networks &connectivity• But NB OECMs are equivalent to effective PAs, not a lower class designation• OECMs as solutions contributing to C storage, climate mitigation and building
resilience to impacts of climate change• Important contribution to Target 3 of new Global Biodiversity Framework.
• Report to WD-OECM at UNEP-WCMC

IUCN - Examples of what might count as OECMs
Likely• Some indigenous/community conserved areas• Some coastal and marine areas protected frominterference for reasons other than conservation,e.g. historic wrecks• Some areas in production landscapes that aremanaged for conservation rather than
exploitation• Some watershed protection areas for cities• Some Community Pastures with native grasslands• Some sections of military reserves with access
restrictions and conservation goals andmanagement

Unlikely• Urban parks and other formal gardens• Temporary fishing closures in place only until an
overfished area recovers• Heavily grazed grassland or grassland replanted withmonocultures or non-native species for livestock• Large, landscape or seascape scale management
policies targeting a limited number of biodiversity
elements (e.g. fishing or hunting restrictions on
individual species)• Ocean areas or forest areas managed for large scale
extraction• Production forests managed for timber

Potential areas should be screened very carefully on a case-by-case basis.

All marine OECMs should produce the “conservation ofecosystems and natural habitats and the maintenanceand recovery of viable populations of species in theirnatural surroundings” (CBD Article 2), not just asustainable population of one/a few species.

MARINEFOCUS
IUCN recommends that there should be no verticalzoning for OECMs.

Marine OECMs

NOT Marine OECMs

Locally managed marine areas that
result in the long-term conservationof biodiversity

Areas temporarily closed to the fishingof specific depleted commercial fishspecies

Permanent or long-term fisheriesclosures designed to protect complete
ecosystems for stock recruitment

Where fisheries or other activities arehabitat-damaging

Areas designated to protect
specialised ecosystems and effective
against fishery and non-fishery threats.

Area closed only when vulnerable
species are present at a vulnerable life
stage (e.g., spawning aggregations)

Totally closed areas, such as war
graves with sunken shipwrecks.

BENEFITS OF
OECMs

Conserve

Conserve important ecosystems, habitats and wildlife
corridors outside and between protected areas

SupportSupport the recovery of threatened speciesMaintain

Maintain ecosystem functions and secure ecosystemservices, carbon storage, water,

EnhanceEnhance resilience against harmful activities andthreats, including climate change (nature-basedsolutions)

Retain andconnect

Retain and connect remnants of fragmented
ecosystems, build conservation networks

Contribute

Contribute to ecologically representative and wellconnected conservation networks, integrated withinwider landscapes and seascapes (including KBAs andtransboundary areas)Indonesia – Harapan Ecosystem Restoration Concession• Important Biodiversity Values:• KBA, 98,550 hectares tropical lowland rainforest,• Governance: Private (NGO partnership)• Management objective: Conservation• Not a Protected Area
• Longterm: 99 year lease• New legislation - Ecosystem Restoration Concession• see PARKS 24 Special Issue 61-67

Key questions for OECMs
Is there importantbiodiversity in the area?

Is the area already aprotected area?

What kinds of support are needed tohelp maintain effective conservationof the important biodiversity values(legislation, other incentives,
recognition of land and use rights,funding)Do those responsible forgovernance andmanagement want thearea to be assessed as anOECM?

Might area be better
mapped to sustainable
management Target 5,10?

Resources• IUCN/WCPA requested by CBD to provide guidance• WCPA Technical Note 6 OECMs https://www.iucn.org/theme/protectedareas/resources/iucn-wcpa-technical-note-series• Training materials – introduction to OECMs• https://www.iucn.org/commissions/world-commission-protected-areas/ourwork/oecms/oecm-training-materials• Case studies – Special Issue of PARKS journal 24 https://www.parksjournal.com/• Simple, user friendly assessment tool
• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) under prepThank you