What Are OECMs and How Do They Work?

Other Effective Conservation Methods (OECMs) are sites that conserve biodiversity while recognising the importance of human interactions with nature. They offer a balance between ecological conservation and the protection of marginalised communities, but challenges remain in their effective implementation.

by Harveet Singh Purewal

Other Effective Conservation Methods (OECMs), defined in 2018 by the CBD, are “geographically defined areas distinct from Protected Areas (PAs) managed in ways that yield positive, sustained, and long-term outcomes for biodiversity conservation including associated ecosystem functions, services and when applicable, cultural, spiritual, socio-economic, and other locally significant values” [1].  OECMs were included in the pivotal post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) established at COP15 and are seen as part of the plan to reach the 30×30 target [2]. This article introduces OECMs, their role in achieving the 30×30 goal, and their associated opportunities and challenges.

How does an OECM differ from a PA?

Protected areas (PAs) are generally established specifically to conserve biodiversity [3]. In comparison, OECMs don’t always place biodiversity conservation as the primary goal, but instead often deliver an effective positive impact for biodiversity conservation due to their management techniques [3, 4].   

A wide range of sites can be identified as OECMs, even in places where there is significant human presence, such as inside Indigenous territories and community-conserved areas, some community pastures, and some coastal and marine areas such as historic wrecks or local community reefs [4, 5]. OECMs reflect the need for humans to live within nature and take into account local and Indigenous views on management.

The role of OECMs in achieving the 30×30 target

The 30×30 target is the goal to conserve 30% of the planet’s land and oceans by 2030 as set out in the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework [6]. This will be achieved through the designation of PAs and OECMs. Currently, PAs cover 15.7% of the world’s land and freshwater, and 7.7% of the oceans [7]. OECMs have the potential to complement the existing global PA network [7]. This is important given that climate change will cause migration of wildlife to areas with more suitable climatic conditions outside their historic habitats, so OECMs can help create a well-connected PA network and facilitate species movements [7]. Moreover, OECMs can help protect species and ecosystems that aren’t currently well protected within the PA network [8].

The potential benefits and challenges of OECMs

OECMs have the potential to make a significant contribution towards achieving effective and equitable conservation. They help create new opportunities for conservation in areas with relatively light human impact such as low livestock density pastoralism, which cover 56% of the Earth’s land surface and contain more Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs, globally important sites of biodiversity) than the remaining wild areas left [7, 9, 10]. This approach incorporates both human usage and biodiversity conservation [7, 8].  

Furthermore, as OECMs must have a positive impact on biodiversity as part of the criteria to identify an OECM, they have the potential to be more effective than PAs, which may not always have their effectiveness proven before being established [8].

OECMs offer a unique opportunity to consider local needs and values [7]. As OECMs don’t require biodiversity conservation as a principal goal, they allow for a wide range of actors’ contributions to be recognised regardless of their motivation [7]. For example, Indigenous peoples manage 37% of the world’s remaining natural land and manage their lands for a variety of reasons other than biodiversity such as harvesting and cultural identity [7, 11]. Recognising Indigenous territories as OECMs could help solve current issues such as insecure rights, insufficient funding, and foster local leadership and governance, which is crucial for equitable conservation [12]. This involves including marginalised groups who are crucial to biodiversity conservation but not currently involved in the decision-making process [7].

The main challenge in adding OECMs to the conservation tool kit is accurately identifying and monitoring OECMs due to OECMs being a new concept and many countries having inadequate resources [8]. Furthermore, another concern is the risk of countries establishing OECMs with little conservation benefits to reach national targets [8, 13].  

Conclusion

OECMs have the potential to be a powerful tool in the conservation toolbox and enrich our current PA system to protect threatened ecosystems and species, as well as include marginalised groups in conservation and the decision-making process. Although there are concerns about the implementation of OECMs, if implemented successfully, they put us on the path to reaching the 30×30 target.

References:
[1]OECMs, https://iucn.org/our-work/topic/effective-protected-areas/our-philosophy-protected-and-conserved-areas/oecms, accessed on 19th Sept 2024.
[2] Agenda item 9A DECISION ADOPTED BY THE CONFERENCE OF THE PARTIES TO THE CONVENTION ON BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY 15/4. Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, https://www.cbd.int/doc/decisions/cop-15/cop-15-dec-04-en.pdf, accessed on 19th Sept 2024.
[3] WWF, What are MPAs and OECMs? A deep dive into the different forms of marine protection, WWF.CA, https://wwf.ca/stories/what-are-mpas-and-oecms-marine-protection/, accessed on 19th Sept 2024.
[4] OECMs: A new paradigm for area-based conservation, World Wildlife Fund, https://www.worldwildlife.org/stories/oecms-a-new-paradigm-for-area-based-conservation, accessed on 19th Sept 2024.
[5] Chair, K, Other Effective Area-based Conserva Measures (OECMs), https://www.cbd.int/protected/partnership/vilm/presentations/15_oecm_mackinnon.pdf, accessed on 19th Sept 2024
[6] Robinson, J. G. et al., 2024. Scaling up area-based conservation to implement the Global Biodiversity Framework’s 30×30 target: The role of Nature’s Strongholds. PLoS Biology, 22(5), e3002613–e3002613. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3002613
[7] Gurney, G. G. et al., 2021. Biodiversity needs every tool in the box: use OECMs. Nature, 595(7869), 646–649. https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-021-02041-4
[8] Alves-Pinto, H. et al., 2021. Opportunities and challenges of other effective area-based conservation measures (OECMs) for biodiversity conservation. Perspectives in Ecology and Conservation, 19(2), 115–120. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pecon.2021.01.004
[9] Key Biodiversity Areas (KBA) definition| Biodiversity A-Z. (2024, April 10). www.biodiversitya-Z.org. https://www.biodiversitya-z.org/content/key-biodiversity-areas-kba, accessed on 21st Sept 2024
[10] Ellis, E. C. (2019). To Conserve Nature in the Anthropocene, Half Earth Is Not Nearly Enough. One Earth, 1(2), 163–167. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oneear.2019.10.009
[11] Garnett, S.T. et al., 2018. A spatial overview of the global importance of Indigenous lands for conservation. Nat Sustain 1, 369–374. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-018-0100-6
[12] Carlisle, K., & Gruby, R. L. (2017). Polycentric Systems of Governance: A Theoretical Model for the Commons. Policy Studies Journal, 47(4). Wiley. https://doi.org/10.1111/psj.12212
[13] Mena, Z. A., F., A. A., & T., C. M. (2024). Toward a New Paradigm of Conservation: the transformative potential of OECMs. IUCN; IUCN. https://iucn.org/blog/202404/toward-new-paradigm-conservation-transformative-potential-oecms