Environment News

OECM Recognition Framework

November 13 , 2026 17 hrs 0 min 33 0

Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav released the Guidelines for Designation of India’s Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures (I-OECMs), 2026, at the 17th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP-17) in Yerevan, Armenia.
OECMs recognise areas outside legally protected areas that provide effective and long-term in-situ biodiversity conservation.
The guidelines cover terrestrial, inland water, coastal and marine ecosystems, including sacred groves, biodiversity parks and community-managed tanks.
The initiative supports Target 3 (30x30) of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KM-GBF), which aims to conserve 30% of land and marine areas by 2030.
The National Biodiversity Authority (NBA), State Biodiversity Boards and Union Territory Biodiversity Councils will oversee recognition; recognised sites must be monitored at least once every five years.
A Global Environment Facility (GEF-8) project will cover six demonstration landscapes and seascapes and aims to add 3% of India's land and marine area to its conservation network.