Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures (OECMs)are already available through the Global downloads and will soon be visible on the IBAT Data Map!
OECMs are geographically defined areas where pre-existing management and governance are achieving long-term outcomes for biodiversity outside of the protected area network. This includes sites where biodiversity is being conserved through other objectives, such as the management of watersheds, sustainable use of resources, or the preservation of a community’s spiritual and cultural practices.
OECMs serve as an important tool to safeguard biodiversity. The increasing recognition of OECMs is driven by global agreements like the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF). The GBF's Target 3 calls for the expansion of global networks of protected areas and OECMs to effectively conserve at least 30% of land and seas by 2030.
Businesses and financial institutions face significant biodiversity-related risks , including physical, transition, and systemic risks. Together with the existing IBAT datasets, OECMs can be used as an additional datapoint in understanding a site's interface with biodiversity sensitive areas. IBAT alliance partner, UNEP-WCMC, have recently published two articles on how businesses and financial institutions can consider OECMs as part their risk screening and site analysis. You can find the resources here:
OECMs: An introduction for businesses and Risk management in OECMs
On IBAT, you will be able to access the OECMs data through the following features*:
• Data map (available for both free and paid users)
• Site level and global GIS downloads
* The IBAT team will also be looking to include OECMs into other IBAT feature and funtionalities in the coming months.
Feel free to contact the IBAT team at ibat@ibat-alliance.org if you have any questions about this new feature, we would love to hear from you!
