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A handbook for identifying, evaluating and reporting other effective area-based conservation measures in marine fisheries

This handbook for identifying, evaluating and reporting other effective area-based conservation measures in marine fisheries builds on a wealth of FAO fisheries guidance, including the FAO Technical Guidelines on Fisheries Management (FAO, 1997) and the various FAO Technical Guidelines for Responsible Fisheries (FAO, 2003; FAO, 2009a; FAO 2009b; FAO, 2011). The present document also draws on FAO’s experiences and lessons learned from workshops held in the Baltic, Mediterranean and Caribbean seas, as well as OECM discussions in Latin America and North Africa, inter alia.

Avoiding the Misuse of other Effective Area-based Conservation measures in the wake of the Blue Economy

Other effective area-based conservation measures (OECMs) represent unique opportunities to help achieve the 2030 biodiversity conservation agenda. However, potential misuse by governments and economic sectors could compromise the outcome of these conservation efforts. Here, we propose three ways to ensure that the application of OECMs toward meeting biodiversity targets provide benefits for both people and nature.

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OECMs Site-Level Assessment Tool

This site-level assessment tool enables users to determine if an individual site qualifies as an ‘other effective area-based conservation measure’ (OECM) by assessing it against the CBD definition and criteria (CBD decision 14/8) and IUCN guidance. The tool is an annex to the IUCN-WCPA Technical Report on OECMs which includes definitions and explanations of how the CBD criteria are linked to the criteria in this tool.

OECMs Site-Level Assessment Tool

A Contrast of Criteria for Special Places Important for Biodiversity Outcomes

This paper contrasts seven spatial biodiversity conservation area designations by six different bodies: Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures (OECMs), and the Ecologically and Biologically Significant Areas (EBSAs) of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD); the Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems (VMEs) of the Food And Agriculture Organization (FAO); the Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) under criteria developed by the IUCN; the Areas of Particular Environmental Interest (APEIs) of the International Seabed Authority (ISA); the Particularly Sensitive Sea Areas (PSSAs) of the Internatio

Biodiversity needs every tool in the box: use OECMs

Global support is growing for the 30 × 30 movement — a goal to conserve 30% of the planet by 2030. In May, the G7 group of wealthy nations endorsed the commitment to this target that had been made by more than 50 countries in January. It is likely to be the headline goal when parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) meet to discuss the latest global conservation agreement in May 2022 in Kunming, China. So where do the sacred forests of Estonia or shipwrecks in North America’s Great Lakes come in?