Making conservation inclusive and count through globally important agricultural heritage systems as possible other...

Protected areas (PAs) are critical to mitigation of drastic biodiversity decline and habitat loss. Despite considerable global progress in PAs, future efforts need to overcome persistent challenges related to coverage and effectiveness. With limited capacity for expansion of PAs, achieving the targets of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KM-GBF) will depend on other effective area-based conservation measures (OECMs). Such measures deliver effective and sustained biodiversity conservation outside of PAs. Globally important agricultural heritage systems (GIAHS) are institutionally conserved traditional agricultural landscapes (TAL) that support local livelihoods while conserving agrobiodiversity and resident wild biodiversity. Thus, GIAHS represent a promising yet underutilized model for advancing OECMs agenda. To explore this potential, drawing on a synthesis of peer‑reviewed literature, policy documents, and case studies, we examined the foundations of OECMs, considered the distinctive advantages of GIAHS for achieving global conservation targets, and devised policy and practical strategies for leveraging GIAHS as potential OECMs. First, we found that OECMs can enhance ecological representation and connectivity across broader landscapes and that their inclusive and flexible nature creates opportunities for diverse landscapes to contribute to conservation, including TAL, which are inherently sustainable and multifunctional. Second, the conservation contributions of GIAHS, spanning biodiversity maintenance, ecosystem service provision, and landscape connectivity, provide practical criteria for prioritizing future conserved areas. The synergistic management and biocultural approaches inherent to GIAHS offer models for effective conservation strategies. Finally, conservation outcomes of GIAHS closely align with the outcome-based framework of OECMs. To translate this alignment into action, priorities must include strengthening policy and legal strategies and enhancing the evidence base.