095 - Recognising, reporting and supporting other effective area-based conservation measures
095 - Recognising, reporting and supporting other effective area-based conservation measures
RECOGNISING that Decision 14/8 Protected Areas and Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures of the 14th Meeting of the Conference of Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP14, Egypt, 2018) provides the definition of “other effective area-based conservation measures” (OECMs) and requests IUCN to assist Parties in identifying OECMs and in applying scientific and technical advice;
NOTING that the CBD states “the fundamental requirement for the conservation of biological diversity is the in-situ conservation of ecosystems and natural habitats and the maintenance and recovery of viable populations of species in their natural surroundings…” (CBD Preamble);
RECALLING the following IUCN Resolutions and Recommendations relevant to OECMs: Resolution 6.030 Recognising and respecting the territories and areas conserved by indigenous peoples and local communities (ICCAs) overlapped by protected areas, Resolution 6.050 Increasing marine protected area coverage for effective marine biodiversity conservation, Recommendation 6.102 Protected areas and other areas important for biodiversity in relation to environmentally damaging industrial activities and infrastructure development (all adopted in Hawai‘i, 2016) Resolution 5.077 Promoting Locally Managed Marine Areas as a socially inclusive approach to meeting area-based conservation and Marine Protected Area targets and Resolution 5.094 Respecting, recognizing and supporting Indigenous Peoples’ and Community Conserved Territories and Areas (both adopted in Jeju, 2012);
MINDFUL of the ecological importance of many sites, including Key Biodiversity Areas and other important sites for biodiversity, outside of protected areas that nonetheless effectively conserve biodiversity in situ for the long term, and the potential benefits of recognising, reporting and supporting such areas as OECMs in line with CBD Decision 14/8;
ACKNOWLEDGING ongoing efforts to develop sector-specific guidance on OECMs consistent with CBD decision 14/8 and complimentary to the existing IUCN Technical Guidance; and
RECOGNISING the importance of tracking of protected areas and OECMs and their dynamics over time in order to ensure that conservation goals are being met;
1. CALLS ON the Director General, Secretariat, Commissions and Members to:
a. support the recognition and reporting of OECMs, working with the full range of governance authorities to operationalise CBD Decision 14/8;
b. engage with the appropriate governance authorities and other partners to assess potential OECMs using the IUCN Technical Report ‘Recognising and Reporting OECMs’; and
c. secure and strengthen overall capacity related to OECMs and monitor threats and conservation measures at the site level;
2. INVITES Members, governments and other institutions to use the IUCN Technical Report ‘Recognising and Reporting OECMs’ to recognise, report on and support OECMs in accordance with the framework of existing principles set out by the CBD, IUCN and partners;
3. INVITES Members and governments to encourage transparent reporting on OECMs – including their assessment results of biodiversity outcomes and spatio-temporal dynamics – by the relevant governance authorities to United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC), alongside the reporting of protected areas to the World Database on Protected Areas (CBD Decision 14/8 paragraph 9);
4. INVITES the Secretariats of relevant multilateral environment agreements (MEAs) to work with their Parties to consider how OECMs can also provide or strengthen natural solutions to global issues, such as climate change; and
5. ENCOURAGES the private sector, finance institutions and donors to provide appropriate financial support for OECMs to sustain long-term effective conservation.
