IUCN WCPA Technical Note 26: Strengthening site assessments and introducing a proposed verification process for other effective area-based conservation measures (OECMs)
In brief
Decision 14/8, adopted by the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), provided a definition and criteria for identifying Other Effective area-based Conservation Measures or OECMs (CBD 2018). As part of that decision, the IUCN was asked to provide additional guidance. Since then, Parties to the CBD have been interpreting that definition for their national contexts, supported by IUCN-WCPA guidance, and are developing national and subnational frameworks to support OECM recognition. It is important that these frameworks can demonstrate that they are consistent with the criteria set out in the CBD Decision, and that they enshrine well-established principles of transparency and credibility.
As countries identify sites that can be recognised as OECMs, it is important that sites reported to the World Database on Protected and Conserved Areas (WDPCA) demonstrate alignment with globally agreed criteria. This Technical Note therefore recommends the establishment of processes for independent verification of both national frameworks and individual sites, in order to ensure their alignment with CBD Decision 14/8, IUCN-WCPA guidance and Target 3 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) (CBD 2022).
With the goal of improving conservation outcomes in mind, verification processes could serve to identify sites that are deemed to: 1) clearly meet the CBD criteria (verified sites); 2) meet the criteria with some concerns (provisionally verified sites with conditions attached), 3) not currently meet the criteria but could with support (unverified with conditions to move toward verification); or 4) not be suitable for recognition (not OECMs).