Center for Large Landscape Conservation | IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas Task Force

The IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) Task Force on ‘Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures’ (OECMs) will undertake an assessment to map ‘potential OECMs’. The findings will be used to inform the last two years of the CBD’s current Strategic Plan as well as to inform the development of the post-2020 Biodiversity Framework.

IUCN aims to undertake four country-level assessments to determine the type and extent of areas outside of protected area networks that are effectively conserving nature and meet the draft definition of ‘OECMs’. The final selection will be made on confirmation of to at least two criteria. First, the selection should cover the following regions: Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Australia or Canada. Second, within those countries, IUCN will select from a shortlist of countries that have relatively high levels of ‘readiness’. Based on the results we will then make comparisons with the protected areas network within each country to provide an assessment of the potential total estate of protected areas and OECMs. This work will supplement and complement other ongoing research and country case studies e.g. a review of Canadian marine areas, review of Colombian potential OECMs (Humboldt Institute), a Birdlife International study on OECMs, and individual case studies compiled by the Task Force and the related special issue of PARKS journal on OECMs. 

The results of the research will be consolidated and published as an information document to the CBD. This will inform parties to the Convention of the potential scope for OECMs in reaching Aichi Target 11 and also inform discussions on the next generation of areas-based conservation targets. In addition, it will provide CBD Parties a typology of potential OECMs at a national level to be incorporated into national biodiversity strategies.