OECMs Protected Areas

OECMs: Other effective area-based conservation measures

Context

  • Recently, participants at the fifth International Marine Protected Areas Congress (IMPAC5) welcomed other effective area-based conservation measures (OECMs) as a tool for establishing conservation structures alongside marine protected areas (MPAs) that empower Indigenous leadership and governance.

About Other effective area-based conservation measures (OECMs)

  • ‘Other effective area-based conservation measures’ (OECMs) are areas that are achieving the long term and effective in-situ conservation of biodiversity outside of protected areas.
  • From 2015 to 2018, IUCN provided technical advice to Parties on OECMs to the CBD through a WCPA Task Force on OECMs.
  • In 2018, Parties to the Convention on Biological diversity (CBD) agreed guiding principles, common characteristics and criteria for the identification of OECMs.
  • 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 where applicable, cultural, spiritual, socio–economic, and other locally relevant values.
    • As of July 2022, 785 such sites have been reported to the World Database on Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures, managed by the UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre.
  • Locally managed marine areas (LMMAs) are one form of OECM; examples of these exist in Mozambique and Madagascar.
OECMs Protected Areas
Courtesy: Times of India

There are four criteria for identifying OECMs:

  1. The area is not currently recognized as a protected area;
  2. The area is governed and managed;
  3. The area achieves sustained and effective contribution to in situ conservation of biodiversity; Criterion
  4. Associated ecosystem functions and services and cultural, spiritual, socio-economic and other locally relevant values are conserved and respected.

Click here to know more about aravalli-biodiversity-park

Back to Basics

  • Aravalli Biodiversity Park as India’s first “other effective area-based conservation measures” (OECM).
  • The Aravalli Biodiversity Park has semi-arid vegetation.

Source: SDG

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