Guidance to Advance Other Effective Area Based Conservation Measures (OECMs) in Asia
The “Guidance to Advance Other Effective Area Based Conservation Measures (OECMs) in Asia” builds on the recommendations from the Status of OECMs in Asia report (Sharma et al., 2023), that surveyed countries across Asia with a focus on national and sub-national strategies, legislation, and challenges. The report provided five key recommendations to guide countries across Asia to expand their efforts on OECMs. This technical briefing paper builds on these recommendations to help countries in Asia identify, report, monitor, and strengthen OECMs strategically.
To ensure that efforts on OECMs within countries are consistent and following strategic guidance, countries should aim to create a national strategy for OECMs. Ensuring the proper identification, reporting, monitoring, and strengthening of OECMs in Asia will require a five-pronged approach around (1) building capacity, (2) developing a national strategy through an inclusive and consultative process, (3) developing legal or other effective types of mechanisms, (4) seeking diverse and sustainable financing opportunities, and (5) prioritising the most ecologically valuable areas, such as KBAs, using spatial planning processes.
The content in this document is also based on guidance documents produced by the IUCN WCPA, which have been peer reviewed and published by the IUCN; they are available in several languages on the IUCN WCPA OECM Specialist Group’s website. You can also read the previous report on Asia OECM status here: (OECMs | IUCN).
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