Recognising and Reporting Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures
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Recognising and reporting other effective area-based conservation measures World Commission on Protected Areas Task Force on OECMs Protected Area Technical Report Series No 3 Recognising and reporting other effective area-based conservation measures World Commission on Protected Areas Task Force on OECMs The designation of geographical entities in this book, and the presentation of the material, do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of IUCN or other participating organisations concerning the legal status of any country, territory or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect those of IUCN or other participating organisations. All examples are provided according to their condition and status as of the date of publication. Published by: IUCN, Gland, Switzerland Copyright: © 2019 IUCN, International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. Reproduction of this publication for educational or other non-commercial purposes is authorised without prior written permission from the copyright holder provided the source is fully acknowledged. Reproduction of this publication for resale or other commercial purposes is prohibited without prior written permission of the copyright holder. Citation: IUCN-WCPA Task Force on OECMs, (2019). Recognising and reporting other effective area-based conservation measures. Gland, Switzerland: IUCN. ISBN: 978-2-8317-2025-8 (PDF) DOI: https://doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.CH.2019.PATRS.3.en Cover photos: Top-left: 6. A pygmy elephant walks along the banks of the river within a community-governed area, near the village of Abai, within the Lower Kinabatangan-Segama Wetlands Ramsar Site, Sabah (Malaysia). © Harry Jonas. Top-right: William Myers from Yunesit’in, one of six Tsilhqot’in communities, on a horse pack trip into the mountains of Dasiqox Tribal Park (British Colombia, Canada). © Jeremy Williams. Bottom-right: A leopard walks along the runway at the Hoedspruit Airforce Base as the base supports a conservation area of over 2000ha surrounding the base as a training and as a civilian buffer zone (Hoedspruit, South Africa). © Hoedspruit Airforce Base. Bottom-centre: An historic wreck site in the Isles of Scilly (United Kingdom) that excludes activities and provides an undisturbed environment for marine wildlife to flourish. Photo Credit: © Dan Laffoley.Bottom-left: Local children discovering their surroundings in a conservation concession in Loreto Region, Peru. © Bruno Monteferri. Left-centre: The Dyfi Biosphere Reserve in mid-Wales is made up of a mix of government and privately managed protected areas along with private lands, which are primarily farmed for sheep and cattle. The latter include areas with high biodiversity value, including ancient woodlands. As well as these values being recognised through the biosphere nomination and development, a multimillion pound initiative is focusing on restoring natural process in the Dyfi Valley, which encompasses mountains, pastures, woodlands, peat bogs and a large estuary and marine area with extensive sand dune complexes. Targeting at least 10,000 hectares of land and 28,400 ha of sea, the total area likely includes a range of potential OECMs. © Equilibrium Research. Centre: Sun setting over Tovu village on Totoya Island (Fiji), where community leaders are integrating locally-managed marine area approaches with seascape scale planning. © Stacy Jupiter Back page: A young member of a Bajau family makes his way across a reef in the early-evening (Sabah, Malaysia). © Harry Jonas. Design and layout: Miller Design Available from: International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Global Protected Areas Programme Rue Mauverney 28 1196 Gland Switzerland [email protected] www.iucn.org/resources/publications Table of contents Foreword iv Executive summary v Acknowledgements vi Glossary of terms viii Acronyms x List of boxes, tables and figures x 1. Introduction 1 2. Definition and characteristics 3 3. Identifying other effective area-based conservation measures in practice 8 4. Monitoring and reporting other effective areas-based conservation measures 13 References 14 Appendices Appendix I: The broad relationship between the Aichi Targets and Target 11 16 Appendix II: Decision support: Is Aichi Target 11 the most appropriate Aichi Target against which to evaluate a conservation measure? 18 Appendix III: World Database on Protected Areas 20 Recognising and reporting other effective area-based conservation measures | iii Foreword Many areas outside national and regional protected area ecosystem functions and securing ecosystem services; networks also contribute to the effective in-situ conservation enhancing resilience against threats; and contributing to of biodiversity. Appropriately recognising, reporting and improved management and restoration of areas that could supporting such areas is increasingly important in the context usefully support long-term in-situ conservation of biodiversity. of biodiversity loss and climate change. Parties to the OECMs can contribute to ecologically representative and Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) recognised early in well-connected systems of protected and conserved areas, the CBD’s Strategic Plan (2011-2020) that ‘other effective integrated within wider landscapes and seascapes. area-based conservation measures’ (OECMs) offer a significant opportunity to achieve this aim. As with any ‘new’ framework, there will likely be a need for ongoing interpretation and implementation. Maintaining the Technical advice by the IUCN World Commission on full value of OECMs in promoting effective conservation is Protected Areas Task Force on Other Effective Area-based likely to require substantial efforts to build capacity at national Conservation Measures contributed towards the adoption and regional levels to identify, monitor and maintain their by the CBD’s 14th Conference of the Parties of a definition, biodiversity values. OECMs provide an exciting opportunity to guiding principles, common characteristics and criteria for recognise and expand the conservation estate, under a range identification of OECMs (CBD Decision 14/8). The world now of governance and management regimes, as envisaged under has an opportunity to better recognise de facto conservation Aichi Target 11. A key challenge will be how to recognise and that is taking place outside currently designated protected support these fully conserved areas while also fulfilling national areas implemented by a diverse set of actors, including by obligations for more sustainable management of production indigenous peoples, local communities, the private sector activities, including in areas of industrial forestry, agriculture and government agencies. and fishing that do not meet the OECM criteria but can also contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Appropriate recognition of OECMs provides the opportunity to engage and support rights-holders and stakeholders and to As Parties to the Convention deliberate the post-2020 promote more equitable partnerships in global conservation Biodiversity Framework, these guidelines will continue to make efforts, highlighting the diversity of contributions to conservation an important contribution towards ensuring that OECMs are globally. In doing so, OECMs will contribute to the conservation appropriately recognised and contribute to both coverage of biodiversity in many ways, such as: conserving important targets and ecological representation through ‘systems of representative ecosystems, habitats and wildlife corridors; protected areas and other effective area-based conserved supporting the recovery of threatened species; maintaining measures’. Dr. Grethel Aguilar Dr. Cristiana Paşca Palmer Acting Director General, Executive Secretary, International Union for Conservation of Nature Convention on Biological Diversity iv | Recognising and reporting other effective area-based conservation measures Executive summary The Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011–2020, adopted in ecologically representative and well-connected conservation Nagoya, provides a framework for the effective implementation systems, integrated within wider landscapes and seascapes, of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) with 20 targets and in doing so, generate a range of positive conservation covering the period 2011-2020. Aichi Target 11 states that outcomes, such as: conservation will be achieved through effectively and equitably managed, ecologically representative and well connected • Conserving important ecosystems, habitats and wildlife systems of protected areas and other effective area- corridors; based conservation measures. While there were already • Supporting the recovery of threatened species; clear definitions and criteria for protected areas this was • Maintaining ecosystem functions and securing ecosystem not the case for ‘other effective area-based conservation services; measures’. • Enhancing resilience against threats; and • Retaining and connecting remnants of fragmented In November 2018, this situation was remedied when Parties ecosystems within developed landscapes. to the CBD adopted at the 14th Conference of the Parties a definition of an “other effective area-based conservation The WCPA Task Force on OECMs has produced these measure” (OECM) as well as guiding principles, common guidelines to assist Parties in interpreting and operationalising characteristics and criteria for identification