Recognising, assessing and reporting OECMs in the Western Cape
What are Other Effective area-based Conservation Measures (OECMs)?
Only officially defined by the CBD in 2018, an OECM is “a geographically defined area other than a Protected Area, which is governed and managed in ways that achieve positive and sustained long-term outcomes for the in-situ conservation of biodiversity, with associated ecosystem functions and services and where applicable, cultural, spiritual, socio-economic, and other locally relevant values”.
Essentially, OECMs are sites with high biodiversity and ecosystem services value, found outside of the formal protected areas network that provide conservation as an objective (even if it is not the primary objective) in addition to the site’s foremost land use objectives. OECMs can encompass a range of different approaches to governance and conversation management, including agreements signed through Biodiversity Stewardship.
What is the reason for this project?
Through Biodiversity Stewardship, South Africa has been highly effective at expanding the conservation estate (comprised of protected and conservation areas), particularly on privately and communally owned land. Protected areas are legislated under the National Environmental Management: Protected Areas Act of 2003 and are reported nationally and internationally. Conservation areas, however, have not been well recognized and reported in South Africa. The result is that South Africa is under-reporting and falling short of national and international area-based conservation targets e.g. Aichi Target 11 of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and more recently, the draft CBD Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework targets. The new area-based target calls for 30% of the world’s marine, freshwater and terrestrial spaces to be well-protected and conserved by 2030 through an expanded, well-connected network of protected areas and ‘other effective area-based conservation measures’ (OECMs). The project aims to identify and assess potential OECMs in the Western Cape, focusing initially on assessing and reporting existing, qualifying conservation areas. This project will also look to understand and quantify the capacity and resource requirements needed to assess OECMs in the province, and provide training to key stakeholders to support the assessment and reporting of OECMS in the Western Cape
Where is this project taking place?
This project will take place in the Western Cape Province, South Africa,
OECM Resources
OECM Project Concept Note
A four page summary about the Nedbank Green Trust funded project titled “Recognising, assessing and reporting OECMs in the Western Cape”. Click the button below to download.
Introduction video to OECMs - the process and what they mean for South Africa
This short introductory video will highlight what OECMs are, how the process works and what it means for South Africa. Click below to watch.
Site-level Assessment Tools, Templates and Resources for identifying OECMs in South Africa
Every other effective area-based conservation measure (OECM) site has to undergo the process from potential OECM, to candidate OECM and finally confirmed OECM.
To access the IUCN’s global site-level tool for identifying OECMs please download them here.
Click the button below to download the full set of Assessment Tool Templates developed for recognizing, assessing and reporting OECMs in South Africa.
For more information about the work of the Western Cape OECM Pilot Project, please download the following reports, and enjoy our Conservation Conversations, “What exactly are OECMs?” YouTube video at the link below:
- Western Cape OECM Technical Review, including appendices:
- Appendix 1a: OECM Site-level Assessment Tool Criteria, with associated questions and guidance
- Appendix 1b: OECM Basic Mapping Requirements
- Appendix 1c: Summary of Training and Workshops
- Appendix 1d: OECM Costing Document
- Appendix 1e: Summary of hourly cost per identified measure
- Appendix 1f: OECM Costing Document – Executive Summary
- OECM Assessment Tool and Review Presentation Templates
- Western Cape OECM Pilot Project Synthesis
- BirdLife South Africa’s Conservation Conversations webinar – What exactly are OECMs can be downloaded on this link
OECM Reports, Training Materials and Case Study Videos from the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
BirdLife South Africa has been a leader in driving the definition and development of the OECM framework both in South Africa and globally through connections to the IUCN World Conservation Monitoring Commission and the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas.
For more information about our work please download the following reports or visit the IUCN’s OECM website.
- IUCN Report: Recognising and reporting other effective area-based conservation measures
- IUCN OECM Training Materials Portal
- BirdLife South Africa. 2020. Assessing the Extent of OECMs in South Africa: Final Project Report (compiled by Marnewick D, Stevens C, Antrobus-Wuth R, Theron N, Wilson N, Naude K and Jonas H).
To watch case studies presented in South Africa, please click the relevant links below:
For more information on this project please contact BirdLife South Africa’s Ernst Retief via ernst.retief@birdlife.org.za.
We remain grateful to the WWF Nedbank Green Trust for their support of this important conservation project.