From October 21 to November 1, the 16th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP16) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) was held in Cali, Colombia. The conference, themed “Peace with Nature,” called for exploring more nature-friendly and sustainable development models. Among the key focuses of the conference was the progress in implementing the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, particularly its Target 3, which aims to effectively conserve at least 30% of terrestrial and 30% of marine areas by 2030 (the “30×30 target”).

Currently, global protected areas cover only 16.42% of land and inland waters and 8.33% of coastal and marine areas[1]. Achieving the “30×30 target” through protected areas alone will be challenging. Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures (OECMs) are widely recognized as innovative conservation tools that can significantly increase the area of effective conservation and help achieve the “30×30 target,” making them one of the key discussion points at the conference.

On October 25, several European, Chinese and international organizations jointly held a side event at COP16 titled “Exploring Voluntary Commitments by Non-state Actors in Advancing Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures (OECMs): Insights from China and International Perspectives.” Through the assessment of current status, case study sharing, and policy dialogues, the aim of this side event was to explore how non-state actors can participate in and support OECMs to contribute to the “30×30 target.”

The side event was co-hosted by the Shan Shui Conservation Center, IUCN, IUCN WCPA, ICCA Consortium, ICCA-GSI, UNDP-GEF SGP, ICIMOD, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Tsinghua University National Parks Research Institute, Peking University Center for Nature and Society, Tencent Foundation, Huatai Foundation, Huatai Securities, SEE Foundation, Global Environment Institute, and Chinese Academy of Forestry. This side event is part of the OECM Policy Dialogue Project, supported by the China Biodiversity Fund (CBF) funded by the European Union and implemented by AFD. Representatives from government departments, academic institutions, social organizations, and local communities from various countries attended the side event and made speeches.

Side event scene

In the opening remarks, Jillian Campbell, Head of Monitoring, Review and Reporting of the CBD Secretariat, emphasized the crucial role of OECMs in achieving the “30×30 target” for biodiversity conservation. She expressed anticipation for future implementations of OECMs, focusing on various aspects, including management effectiveness, equitable governance, and enhancing connectivity of the protected and conserved area network. Liu Ning, Deputy Director of Department of Nature and Ecology Conservation, Ministry of Ecology and Environment of China, stated that China’s National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plan (NBSAP) explicitly mentions the innovation of OECMs, exploration of various governance models, and support for various forms of in situ conservation by civil society, expressing great expectations for the contributions of non-state actors. James Hardcastle, Head of the IUCN Protected and Conserved Areas Team, indicated that OECMs, as a new type of conservation tool, provide more room for recognizing the conservation contributions from all sectors of society. He looked forward to actively mobilizing the participation of more non-state actors and hoped that this side event would further promote international experience sharing and policy dialogue on OECMs, jointly contributing to the achievement of the “30×30 target”.

Opening remarks

At the meeting, under the witness of all parties, Huatai Securities and Shan Shui Foundation announced the joint launch of China’s first OECMs special fund, aiming to provide practical and long-term funding and capacity support for China’s potential OECMs with actual needs, to encourage and mobilize more social entities to engage in biodiversity conservation, and to carry out innovative demonstration explorations. The special fund also received support from the Shanghai Stock Exchange Public Welfare Foundation.

Jillian Campbell, Liu Ning, James Hardcastle, and Lu Zhi witnessed the launch of China’s first OECMs special fund

After the opening remarks, Stephen Woodley, Co-chair of the IUCN WCPA OECMs Specialist Group, and Lu Zhi, Professor at Peking University and founder of Shan Shui Conservation Center, delivered keynote speeches.

Dr. Woodley reviewed the historical development process of the OECM concept, explained the concept, criteria, types of protection, and governance mechanisms of OECMs, and shared OECM cases from Indonesia, Kenya, and other places, as well as IUCN’s efforts to promote OECM policy dialogues in Africa. He also introduced the series of guidelines, technical notes, and related support materials on OECMs published by IUCN WCPA, hoping to provide references and tools for countries to carry out and implement OECMs.

Stephen Woodley delivered keynote speech on global OECM overview

Prof. Lu focused on the gaps, cases, and potential pathways of OECMs in China. She pointed out that China’s existing protected areas (including national parks, nature reserves, and nature parks) still have insufficient representation in the conservation of ecosystems and species, and OECMs, with their flexible and diverse governance, are expected to play an active role in filling this gap and providing new opportunities for recognizing the contributions of indigenous peoples and local communities in conservation work. Prof. Lu analyzed the policy gaps and opportunities for OECMs in China and introduced the actions related to OECMs carried out by Chinese civil society, as well as the preliminary OECM standards drafted by the China OECM expert group. She shared the results of the OECM potential case collection initiative (hereinafter, the initiative) in China. This case collection was the first attempt to collect potential OECM cases in China, collecting a total of 90 cases. After the initial screening, permission, and detailed assessment, combined with desktop review and field visits, a total of 46 potential OECM cases were identified, including 12 outstanding cases. Prof. Lu also discussed the potential pathway of OECMs in China, including key steps such as enhancing awareness, enabling, criteria setting, monitoring, and reporting.

Lu Zhi introduced current status of PAs and OECMs in China

Subsequently, representatives of four potential OECM cases in China accepted the certificates for potential OECMs shortlisted in the initiative on stage to recognize and encourage their achievements in the practice of OECMs.

Potential OECMs in China Celebration Ceremony

Following that, representatives of OECM case studies from Colombia, the Himalayan region, and China shared their experiences and stories of on-the-ground conservation practices.

Ana Beatriz Barona, National Coordinator of the GEF-UNDP Small Grants Programme in Colombia, discussed the development trajectory of the concepts of Indigenous and Community Conserved Areas (ICCAs) and OECMs in Colombia, as well as the differences and connections between the two, based on cases from three communities in Colombia. These discussions enable stakeholders to participate more effectively in conservation and make informed decisions.

Ana Beatriz Barona shared the discussions on the connection between ICCAs and OECMs in Colombia

Zhang Yingyi, Secretary-General of the Zhilan Foundation, shared the practices and experiences of China’s ICCAs. Her presentation, using the case of the Liguang Community Conserved Area, illustrated that there is no ideal or perfect community conserved area, and even those with broad community support always face challenges. She used the case of the sacred mountain to demonstrate the importance of maintaining and documenting community conserved areas and the case of the Qunan Protection Area to explain how to promote inclusive, collective community governance. Finally, she believes that whether community conserved areas become OECMs or PAs, they can all make contributions in their own way.

Zhang Yingyi presented ICCA practice and experience in China

Sunita Chaudhary, Biodiversity Lead of ICIMOD, shared a case from India’s Nagaland in the Himalayan region, where there are already many community conserved areas, but the promotion of OECMs still faces challenges, such as limited awareness of OECMs or some community conserved areas already being included in the protected area (PA) system. She mentioned that there is still an opportunity to develop OECM guidelines for the state and proposed several potential types of OECMs, including a large number of unregistered private forests within the state, unique agricultural systems (Zabo Farming), water bodies, and so on.

Sunita Chaudhary introduced community conserved areas in Nagaland

Li Guanqi, Director of the Eastern Office of the Farmers’ Seed Network (China), shared a potential OECM case from Stone Village in Yunnan, where local farmers, while preserving the genetic diversity of old crop varieties, are also protecting the biodiversity of local farmland and surrounding forests by reducing pesticide use, and are also surveying and documenting local wild plants and wildlife. Through this case, he explored how traditional agriculture and other sustainable use methods can protect biodiversity and contribute to the “30×30 target” in the form of OECMs.

Li Guanqi shared the potential OECM case of Stone Village from Southwest China

In the final roundtable discussion session, moderated by Peng Kui, Program Manager for Ecosystem Conservation and Community Development, Global Environment Institute, experts from various countries, including Stephen Woodley, Co-chair of the IUCN WCPA OECMs Specialist Group, Li Xi, Project Officer of Department of Protected Area Management, National Forestry and Grassland Administration of China, Neema Pathak Broome, Policy Coordinator and South Asia Regional Coordinator of ICCA Consortium, Hag Young Heo, Senior Research Fellow at the Korea National Park Service (KNPS), and Albert Chan, Mesoamerica Subregional Coordinator of ICCA Consortium, discussed the global experience and challenges of OECMs in helping to achieve the “30×30 target”. They shared and exchanged experiences, lessons, and challenges in the implementation of OECMs, including formulating localized OECM standards, promoting the establishment of OECM-related mechanisms and policy formulation, promoting the participation of various non-state actors, and recognizing the contributions of indigenous peoples and local communities.

Roundtable discussion

This side event promoted discussions on Chinese and international OECM practices and mechanisms, enriched the exchange and policy dialogue on experiences, opportunities, and challenges in the implementation process of OECMs. Throughout COP16, OECMs have been a very hot topic that has attracted attention from all sides. There has been widespread encouragement for bottom-up community participation, and countries and institutions have made their own practices and considerations on how to balance this with important conservation goals and strict monitoring and evaluation standards. We look forward to working with many partners to further increase communication, promote widespread participation from all sectors of society in biodiversity conservation, and strive to promote the further implementation of OECMs contributed by non-state actors in China.

Side event group photo

[1] Data source: https://www.protectedplanet.net/en/