Lessons learned from screening potential other effective area-based conservation measures.

Area of Science:

• Conservation Science
• Biodiversity Management
• Protected Areas

Background:

• Other effective area-based conservation measures (OECMs) are vital for the global 30x30 conservation target.
• Limited progress has been made in formally recognizing OECMs despite their expected importance.
• Existing guidance for screening OECM sites is broad and requires translation for practical application.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a practical tool for screening potential OECMs based on formal criteria.
• To assess the suitability of global sites as OECMs using the developed tool.
• To identify common challenges hindering OECM recognition and effectiveness.

Main Methods:

• A questionnaire was designed to operationalize formal OECM guidance into expert-assessable statements.
• Twenty-eight local experts evaluated 81 diverse global sites using the questionnaire.
• Sites were assessed against criteria including biodiversity outcomes, threat management, resourcing, and governance.

Main Results:

• No evaluated sites fully met the criteria to be recognized as OECMs.
• Most sites showed good condition and conservation potential but faced challenges.
• Common barriers included inadequate threat management, insufficient resourcing, and difficulty demonstrating sustained conservation outcomes.

Conclusions:

• The developed questionnaire offers a nuanced method for OECM assessment and support identification.
• Significant challenges in demonstrating effective and sustained conservation outcomes exist for many areas.
• Further efforts are needed to ensure area-based conservation effectively promotes long-term biodiversity benefits.