Expanding Conservation Impact: A Discussion on Non‑State Actor Engagement in OECMs

Participants joined online to exchange knowledge ©IUCN 

Policy Design and National Experiences on OECMs 

Representatives from Japan, the Republic of Korea, Malaysia and India shared their national OECM frameworks, covering topics such as certification schemes, OECM classification, legal reforms which enable private sector participation, recent national framework developments, and identification of new land types or management important for conservation beyond protected areas. It was emphasized that OECMs offer a unique opportunity to broaden participation in conservation beyond, and as a complementary mechanism to, protected areas by embracing a wide range of governance arrangements, land types or management.  

The ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Centre for Biodiversity presented a varied landscape of progress in the region where some countries are advancing rapidly toward national guidelines, while others remain at an early conceptualization stage. Several countries (e.g., Cambodia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, Viet Nam) are integrating OECMs into national policies, identifying pilot sites and establishing recognition and reporting mechanisms. Overall, the region is moving towards structured governance systems, monitoring frameworks, and alignment with the 30x30 target. 

Business Sector Engagement 

Companies from Japan and Thailand shared practical conservation actions undertaken as part of their OECMs initiatives.  

In Japan, some companies manage certified OECM sites, while others support sites in different ways. For example, Taisei Corporation mobilizes its corporate resources to actively contribute to nature conservation by supporting an OECM site (Kyosei site in Japanese) in the Hiruzen Highlands, which serves as a flagship example of the certification of support for OECMs in Japan. 

In Thailand, five sites proposed by businesses were recognised as OECMs in December of last year. Presenters described how they implement nature conservation activities within the OECM sites they manage, as well as how those efforts have contributed to deepening their knowledge and their understanding of biodiversity conservation. Several companies highlighted their multi-country project experiences, demonstrating the potential for such approaches to be applied in other countries, for example, Boon Rawd Brewery Co., Ltd. supports conservation and OECM recognition in both Thailand and the Maldives. Toyota Group companies have received certification for 21 sites in Japan contributing to 30x30, and are also promoting similar efforts across their production facilities globally. In India, efforts are being made to engage corporate businesses including those from mobility manufacturers, allied enterprises, and other sectors, to identify areas within their estates that can be identified as OECMs. 

The moderated discussion with businesses highlighted several enabling conditions for corporate engagement in OECMs. Participants stressed the importance of partnerships with local stakeholders, academic institutions, and conservation organisations to support biodiversity monitoring, site management, and knowledge exchange. Government-led facilitation mechanisms such as OECMs recognition schemes and matchmaking platforms were also identified as helpful in engaging companies with conservation initiatives and technical expertise. 

Although policy and financial incentives were not discussed directly, the presentations and discussions indicated that OECMs engagement is often integrated into operational land and site management practices. Companies also described efforts to strengthen internal capacity and biodiversity knowledge, to improve site stewardship and monitoring of their sites.  

Participants also noted challenges, including the absence of widely recognised indicators for measuring nature-positive outcomes. 

Hiruzen Highlands, Certified OECM supported by Taisei Corporation, ©Taisei Corporation

 

Toyota Mie Miyagawa Forest (1689 ha), Certified OECM, ©Toyota Motor Corporation

 

NGOs, Foundations & Private Landowners 

 

Examples shared in the meeting: 

• Pittachhara, which became Bangladesh’s first approved OECM by combining ecological restoration, community livelihoods, health, education and conflict‑mitigation programs in a privately protected landscape.  

• The 64,000‑ha privately funded Canyon Nature Park in Namibia serving as a trial OECM, creating ecological connectivity between protected areas and contributing meaningfully to national biodiversity targets.  

• Conservation Outcomes described efforts made in South Africa to integrate OECMs into its national conservation system by involving government, civil society, businesses, and private and communal landowners and NGOs. This extends biodiversity conservation beyond traditional protected areas by employing OECMs as flexible, incentivized pathways for improved ecological management and sustainable livelihoods.  

   

Major challenges identified in the presentations included slow policy development, limited awareness of OECMs, competing land use interests and constrained financial resources that hinder broader implementation of this conservation tool. 

 

Pittachhara forest and biodiversity Conservation initiative (PCI) - Restoring the wild and uniting communities, ©Pittachhara trust

 

Leopard © Canyon Nature Park (CNP)

 

International Networks 

 

Two international networks - the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and the High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People (HAC for N&P) - shared how they support countries and organizations in advancing OECMs within their respective frameworks. HAC for N&P drives global 30x30 implementation by mobilizing high-level political support, strengthening member capacities on OECMs including how they can be integrated into national strategies. It also shows the value of multi-stakeholders’ partnerships, practical country success stories and innovative mechanisms such as the HAC's Rapid Deployment Mechanism (RDM), a small grants mechanism to support members in accelerating 30x30 action plans including through the recognition and uptake of OECMs worldwide.  

 

 FSC shared their early thinking and work on OECMs, drawing on a case from Canada informed by a two-year analysis on how FSC certification can support the implementation towards the 30x30 target in the country. FSC certification requires robust forest management aimed at improving biodiversity outcomes, making it encouraging that FSC‑certified areas may also help identify potential OECMs. In Canada, FSC certificate holders protect at least 10% of land with conservation values from disturbance, and work to transition these areas toward permanent protection, in line with FSC principles. They are now examining what this means in practice for the creation of OECMs in Canada using FSC certification as well as for the International FSC framework to be used as an enabler of OECMs.  

 

Lessons learned 

 

Key characteristics of the OECMs movement include: 

• Broad and active  participation by non-state actors; 

• Locally tailored governance arrangements; 

• Mixed funding models; 

• Ecological connectivity at the landscape level; and  

• Strong collaboration with local communities. 

   

The main elements commonly observed in countries that promoted their national policies on OECMs, include: 

• Clear national guidelines and certification systems; 

• Incentives to encourage participation; and  

• Dedicated funding and technical support. 

• Need for adopting a case-by-case approach in OECM designation 

   

The discussion further emphasized the importance of cross-sector partnerships, including: 

• Collaboration between governments and Non-state actors; 

• Partnerships with universities and research institutions;  

• Joint management of OECMs by businesses, NGOs and local communities. 

• Sustainable financing models; 

• Knowledge-sharing and learning platforms; and 

• Strengthened enabling conditions including legal frameworks or policies, guidance and incentives. 

   

Building on these lessons, discussions also suggested that greater clarity on the positioning of OECMs alongside protected areas, as well as a clearer articulation of incentives for nonstate actors, would help broaden engagement. Participants highlighted the need for stronger longterm management arrangements, including the organization of knowledge-sharing meetings among relevant stakeholders, building on the model of this meeting, implementation capacity, and coordination with other landuse interests as OECMs continue to scale up. 

 

Next steps 

 

Looking ahead, the meeting confirmed that the IUCN-KNCC-MOEJ collaborative initiative will move forward with a survey to gather detailed case studies and insights from non-state actors and policymakers. The results will inform a global best-practice report and learning materials to be presented at upcoming international events later in 2026. 

 

Overall, the meeting reaffirmed that non-state actors are indispensable to achieving global biodiversity goals. Their diverse capabilities, resources, and perspectives are essential for expanding conservation beyond traditional protected areas. With strengthened policies, incentives, partnerships, and learning mechanisms, OECMs can become a cornerstone of effective, equitable, and scalable biodiversity conservation.