Conservation beyond protected areas

The OECM framework first appeared in 2010 in an effort to acknowledge that biodiversity conservation occurs outside of formally declared protected areas. It took another eight years to define the term and develop criteria, finally agreed at COP-14 of the Convention on Biological Diversity. OECMs especially help recognize areas managed by government agencies, Indigenous peoples, local communities and private entities, acknowledging contributions not previously included in conservation reporting.

A place can be recognized as an OECM if it meets four key criteria:

1. It is a clearly defined place and is not already a protected area.
2. It is well governed and cared for, with respect for the rights, knowledge, and leadership of Indigenous Peoples and local communities.
3. It helps conserve nature over the long term, including wildlife, habitats, and connections that keep ecosystems healthy.
4. It supports both nature and people, by protecting ecosystem benefits and respecting local values and ways of life.

OECMs have gained momentum as the world strives to meet ambitious biodiversity and climate goals. In 2022, the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity agreed on Target 3 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, which aims to protect and conserve at least 30% of the Earth's surface by 2030. OECMs are essential for achieving this goal—often referred to as the 30x30 target. OECMs are one pathway in which countries can fulfil their area-based conservation commitments related to Target 3 of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).

Research by WWF demonstrates that OECMs contribute to the global extent of conservation areas, improve ecological connectivity, and enhance ecological representation that recognizes diverse value systems and integration within wider landscapes and seascapes.

• OECM Platform: WWF manages the WWF Platform that is the world’s most comprehensive resource on OECMs, containing the resources listed below and many more OECM laws, case studies and news items.
• Guidance on other effective area-based conservation measures (OECMs): These good practice guidelines, published by the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas, are the most up-to-date guidance on understanding, creating enabling conditions for, and operationalizing OECMs.
• Site-level tool for identifying other effective area-based conservation measures (OECMs): This step-by-step interactive tool walks practitioners through all the necessary parts of assessing whether an area is an OECM. It’s an important document to use whenever a site is being considered as an OECM.
• Advancing legal and policy frameworks for OECMs: This report provides the first comprehensive, comparative assessment of the legal and policy mechanisms that countries are using to give effect to OECM identification and reporting.
• From Potential to action: OECMs and inclusive conservation in Latin America: This report examines how inclusive conservation can be advanced through OECMs across six countries—Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, and Peru.
• SWIO OECM Policy Brief: This report was collaboratively developed with OECM practitioners and national expert teams to assist contracting parties to the Nairobi Convention in leveraging OECMs as a complementary tool to existing area-based conservation measures. By reviewing progress towards developing marine OECMs in 10 Western Indian Ocean countries, this report highlights regional opportunities for shared learning and coordinated action towards OECMs, with an emphasis on strengthening marine community-based management and conservation efforts.
• Lessons Learned from the Field: Recommendations for the Implementation of the OECM Framework in Bolivia: In September 2025, stakeholders from Peru and Bolivia exchanged OECM experiences in Madre de Dios, Peru. The publication shares lessons from Peru’s collaborative, ground-up approach and offers recommendations to help Bolivia develop a participatory, sustainable OECM framework tailored to its national context.
• Estado de las OMEC en América Latina y el Caribe: This report presents the first regional assessment of the status of and national progress in implementing the OECM framework in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). Developed within the framework of the Collaborative Agenda for OECMs in LAC 2025–2030, the study examines progress, opportunities, and challenges related to the implementation of OECMs across 36 countries and territories in Mesoamerica, the Caribbean, the Amazon, and the Southern Cone.