A fenced national park is easy to recognise as conservation. A village pond with lotus leaves, a temple grove that nobody is allowed to cut, or a seagrass bed that fishermen leave alone during the breeding season is harder to see as conservation, yet each of them can shelter as much life as a reserve. On 3 November 2026, at the 17th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP-17) in Yerevan, Armenia, Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav released a rulebook for counting such places: the Guidelines for the Designation of India's Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures (I-OECMs), 2026.
The release took place at a side event titled "From Policy to Practice: Advancing India's Biodiversity Commitments through Innovation, Finance, ABS and OECMs". It was organised by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), the National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Armenia's Environment Minister and the CBD's Executive Secretary joined the launch. The guidelines were prepared by MoEFCC with the NBA, and PIB published the details on 4 November.
The Minister described OECMs as a new era of conservation, in which biodiversity is protected mainly through good management of landscapes that lie outside forests and protected areas. This article explains what that means, how the process will work, and the numbers behind it.
What is an OECM?
The term comes from the CBD itself. At COP-14 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, in November 2018, the parties adopted Decision 14/8, which defined an OECM as a geographically defined area, other than a protected area, that is governed and managed in ways that deliver positive and sustained long-term outcomes for the in-situ conservation of biodiversity, along with related ecosystem functions and services and, where relevant, cultural, spiritual and socio-economic values. The decision also set out principles and criteria for identifying such areas. In 2019 the IUCN's World Commission on Protected Areas published detailed guidance on recognising and reporting them.
Two ideas sit inside the definition. First, an OECM is not necessarily set up for conservation. A traditionally managed grove may exist for religious reasons, and a fishing ground may be closed to protect the catch. What counts is the outcome: biodiversity is actually being kept in place over the long term. Second, the area must be outside the protected-area system, so the same hectare cannot be counted twice.
| Feature | Protected area | OECM |
|---|---|---|
| Primary aim | Conservation of nature | Any aim, provided conservation is an effective result |
| Legal basis | Notified under a conservation law | Existing governance or management regime; no new legal status |
| Typical land | Forest and wilderness, often state-owned | Working landscapes: tanks, groves, community and private land, coastal waters |
| Effect of recognition | Brings the legal restrictions of that category | Changes nothing about ownership, rules or activities |
| Counted towards 30x30 | Yes | Yes |
Where it fits: the 30x30 target
The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KM-GBF) was adopted in December 2022 at the second part of COP-15, held in Montreal under China's presidency. It has four long-term goals and 23 targets for 2030. Target 3, known as 30x30, calls for at least 30 per cent of the world's land, inland waters, coastal areas and seas to be effectively conserved and managed by 2030 through well-connected, equitably governed systems of protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures. The words "other effective area-based conservation measures" are the OECM clause.
The global gap is wide. The Protected Planet Report 2024, released by UNEP-WCMC and the IUCN at COP-16 in Cali, put protected and conserved areas at about 17.6 per cent of land and inland waters and 8.4 per cent of the ocean. Most countries cannot reach 30 per cent only by fencing off more wilderness, because people already live and farm on much of the remaining land. OECMs give a route that works with existing owners and managers instead of displacing them.
For India, the guidelines serve National Biodiversity Target 3 under the updated National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) 2024-2030, which commits India to the same 30 per cent goal. Our explainer on India's statement at CBD COP-17 covers the NBSAP and the 23 national targets.
India's protected areas, for comparison
OECMs make sense only against the system they sit beside. India's statutory protected areas are created under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972:
| Category | Key idea |
|---|---|
| National Park | Strictest protection; grazing and private rights are not allowed, and the boundary cannot be changed without the State Legislature's resolution |
| Wildlife Sanctuary | Some regulated human activity allowed, such as permitted grazing or collection |
| Conservation Reserve | Government land, usually next to a national park or sanctuary, acting as a buffer or corridor; added by the 2002 amendment |
| Community Reserve | Private or community land that an owner or community volunteers to conserve; also added by the 2002 amendment |
| Tiger Reserve | Declared under Project Tiger (1973), with a core area and a buffer; managed with the National Tiger Conservation Authority |
India told COP-17 that it has 1,134 protected areas. Taken together they cover only about 5 per cent of the country's area (5.02 per cent in the official figures given to Parliament in 2019). Other designations sit outside this statutory list: 103 Ramsar sites, 57 Biodiversity Heritage Sites (declared under Section 37 of the Biological Diversity Act, 2002) and 18 Biosphere Reserves, which are non-statutory. Our notes on conservation and protected areas in India set out the categories in detail.
One number in the PIB release needs care. The project described below aims to add 3 per cent of India's land and marine area to the conservation estate "over and above the existing 27 per cent under protection". That is a much broader measure than the roughly 5 per cent notified as protected areas, and the release does not say how the 27 per cent is built up. Do not mix the two figures in an answer.
The four mandatory criteria
The guidelines cover terrestrial, inland-water, and coastal and marine ecosystems. Illustrative sites named in PIB are biodiversity parks, sacred groves, community-managed irrigation tanks, seagrass and seaweed beds, and fisheries seasonal ban areas. To be recognised, an area must meet four mandatory criteria:
- Not already protected. It must not be a legally protected or conserved area.
- Governed by a recognised authority. It must be governed and managed under Central or State Government frameworks, or by government-recognised local institutions such as Panchayats and Biodiversity Management Committees (BMCs).
- Clear boundaries, no double counting. It must have defined boundaries and must not overlap any area already reported to the World Database on Protected Areas.
- No change to the status quo. Recognition must not alter the area's existing activities, governance or regulatory regime.
Beyond these, a site can qualify further through its biodiversity significance, its ecosystem services and its cultural values. The fourth criterion is the one that makes the scheme politically easy. A village that keeps its sacred grove can have it recognised without surrendering any right, and recognition does not make the area a protected area or change its ownership or legal status.
How designation will work
The route runs through the NBA, the statutory body set up under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002 with its headquarters in Chennai, and through the State-level boards that the same Act created.
| Step | Who | Time limit |
|---|---|---|
| Application | Central or State departments and agencies, local self-governments, BMCs | Sent to the NBA |
| Preliminary examination | NBA, which forwards to the State Biodiversity Board or UT Biodiversity Council | Within 30 days |
| Validation and recommendation | State Biodiversity Board / UT Biodiversity Council | Within 30 days |
| Final decision | NBA, with an Inter-Departmental I-OECM Committee, in coordination with MoEFCC, which authorises recognition | |
| Record-keeping | State Biodiversity Boards / UT Councils maintain records of sites in their States | Continuous |
| International reporting | MoEFCC and NBA liaise with UNEP-WCMC to publish sites on the World Database on Protected and Conserved Areas | After recognition |
Every recognised site must have a monitoring framework with measurable indicators, assessed at least once every five years. The guidelines also provide for capacity-building programmes run by the NBA, the State boards and line departments, and for non-monetary recognition of good practices. The last item is a quiet departure from the usual conservation model. There is no subsidy or compensation attached to recognition; the reward is public acknowledgment.
The design builds on the three-tier structure of the Biological Diversity Act: the NBA at the Centre, State Biodiversity Boards, and Biodiversity Management Committees in local bodies. BMCs prepare People's Biodiversity Registers that document local species and knowledge. Our explainer on the National Biodiversity Authority and access-and-benefit sharing covers the structure.
The GEF-8 project behind the guidelines
PIB also announced that the Government of India has commissioned a Global Environment Facility (GEF-8) project to put the guidelines into practice. The GEF is the financial mechanism of the CBD. This project is titled "Enhancing the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity to meet India's commitment to the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework targets by 2030".
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Executing agencies | NBA and MoEFCC, under the National Implementation Modality, with UNDP support |
| Approval | Local Project Appraisal Committee, 29 December 2025 |
| Duration | 72 months, from 15 May 2026 to 15 May 2032 |
| Total financing | USD 60.79 million |
| of which GEF Trust Fund grant | USD 6.65 million |
| of which confirmed co-financing | USD 54.14 million |
| Aim | Add 3 per cent of India's land and marine area to the conservation estate through OECMs and other initiatives, including community and private conservation areas |
| Targets | 50,000 hectares of new terrestrial conservation areas; at least 5,000 hectares of degraded land restored; at least 50,000 people benefiting, half of them women |
The project has five components: an enabling framework for the conservation network; financing, incentives and capacity for OECMs; greater coverage and management effectiveness; knowledge management; and monitoring and evaluation. It will also create State-level OECM coordination mechanisms and a monitoring, reporting and verification system.
Six demonstration landscapes will test the model:
- Gori Valley, Uttarakhand
- Kumbhalgarh-Mount Abu-Jaisalmer landscape, Rajasthan
- Satkosia-Kalahandi landscape, Odisha
- Srisailam-Cumbum landscape, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana
- Sahyadri-Konkan landscape, Maharashtra and Goa
- Lakshadweep Islands marinescape
Note that the grant is small, about one-ninth of the financing. Most of the money is co-financing, which means the model depends on governments and partners spending their own budgets on landscapes they already manage.
Why it matters, and what to watch
The strength of the approach is scale without eviction. India's protected areas were often created against local opposition, and expanding them further is slow and costly. Recognising what communities already protect adds area quickly and keeps conservation tied to livelihoods.
The risk is paper conservation. A site can be listed without being any better managed than before, and criterion four, which promises no change to activities, makes it harder to demand improvement. The five-year monitoring requirement and the rule against double counting are the safeguards. What to watch is the first list of recognised sites, the six demonstration landscapes, and whether India reports OECMs to the world database.
🔑 Revision block
The news. Guidelines for the Designation of India's OECMs (I-OECMs), 2026 released by Bhupender Yadav on 3 November 2026 at CBD COP-17, Yerevan; prepared by MoEFCC and the NBA; side event with UNDP.
OECM. Defined at CBD COP-14 (Sharm El-Sheikh, 2018), Decision 14/8: an area outside protected areas that delivers sustained in-situ conservation outcomes. Recognition does not make it a protected area or change its ownership or legal status.
Four mandatory criteria. Not legally protected; governed under Government or recognised local bodies (Panchayats, BMCs); defined boundaries and no overlap with the world database; no change to existing activities or regulation.
Illustrative sites. Biodiversity parks, sacred groves, community-managed irrigation tanks, seagrass and seaweed beds, fisheries seasonal ban areas.
Process. Application to the NBA → 30 days to the State Board/UT Council → 30 days to recommend → NBA decides with an Inter-Departmental Committee; MoEFCC authorises. Monitoring every five years; sites reported to UNEP-WCMC.
Global frame. KM-GBF: adopted December 2022; 4 goals, 23 targets; Target 3 = 30x30. India: NBSAP 2024-2030, National Target 3. Global cover (2024): 17.6% land, 8.4% ocean.
GEF-8 project. USD 60.79 million (GEF 6.65 + co-financing 54.14); 72 months, 15 May 2026 to 15 May 2032; goal +3% area; 50,000 ha, 5,000 ha restored, 50,000 people; six landscapes.
India's PAs. Statutory categories under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972; Conservation and Community Reserves added in 2002. 1,134 PAs (~5% of area), 103 Ramsar sites, 57 BHS, 18 Biosphere Reserves.
🎯 Practice MCQs
Q1. Which of the following best describes an Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measure (OECM)?
(a) A zone within a national park where tourism is banned
(b) A geographically defined area outside protected areas that is managed so as to deliver sustained in-situ conservation outcomes
(c) A buffer area notified around a tiger reserve
(d) A marine area closed to all human activity
→ (b)
The CBD defined OECMs in 2018 as areas other than protected areas that nonetheless deliver long-term biodiversity outcomes. Options (a), (c) and (d) are all parts of, or stricter than, the protected-area system.
Q2. Target 3 (30x30) of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework aims to conserve at least what share of land, inland waters and coastal and marine areas by 2030?
(a) 10 per cent
(b) 20 per cent
(c) 30 per cent
(d) 50 per cent
→ (c)
The target is at least 30 per cent, through protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures.
Q3. Which of the following is a mandatory criterion for recognition under India's I-OECM guidelines, 2026?
(a) The area must not be a legally protected or conserved area
(b) The area must be owned by the Central Government
(c) The area must be at least 1,000 hectares in size
(d) The area must first be notified as a wildlife sanctuary
→ (a)
OECMs lie outside the protected-area system. The guidelines set no ownership or minimum-size rule, and notification as a sanctuary would make an area a protected area, not an OECM.
Q4. Under the I-OECM guidelines, the final decision on recognition is taken by:
(a) The National Tiger Conservation Authority
(b) The National Board for Wildlife
(c) The State Forest Department
(d) The National Biodiversity Authority, with an Inter-Departmental I-OECM Committee, in coordination with MoEFCC
→ (d)
Applications go to the NBA, then to the State Biodiversity Board or UT Council for validation, and back to the NBA for the decision. MoEFCC authorises the recognition.
Q5. Which category of protected area under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 can be declared on private or community land where an owner or community volunteers to conserve wildlife?
(a) National Park
(b) Conservation Reserve
(c) Community Reserve
(d) Wildlife Sanctuary
→ (c)
Community Reserves were introduced by the 2002 amendment. Conservation Reserves, also added in 2002, are on government land, usually adjoining a national park or sanctuary.
Q6. Consider the following statements about I-OECMs:
1. Illustrative sites include sacred groves and seagrass beds.
2. An area that overlaps one already reported to the World Database on Protected Areas can still be recognised.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
→ (a)
Sacred groves and seagrass beds are named examples. Statement 2 is wrong: a mandatory criterion bars overlap with areas already reported to the world database, to prevent double counting.
Q7. The GEF-8 project launched to implement India's I-OECM guidelines runs for:
(a) 36 months
(b) 48 months
(c) 60 months
(d) 72 months
→ (d)
It runs for 72 months, from 15 May 2026 to 15 May 2032, with total financing of USD 60.79 million.
Q8. Records of recognised I-OECM sites in each State are to be maintained by:
(a) The State Pollution Control Board
(b) The State Biodiversity Board or the Union Territory Biodiversity Council
(c) The State Forest Development Corporation
(d) The District Planning Committee
→ (b)
The NBA's State-level counterparts under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002 validate applications and keep the records. The NBA and MoEFCC report recognised sites to UNEP-WCMC.
📋 How this gets asked (PYQ pattern)
Environment and ecology is a steady scoring area in CDS general knowledge, and conservation questions arrive in three forms.
The first is categories of protected area: national park versus wildlife sanctuary versus conservation and community reserve, which Act created each, and which allows human activity. The examiner builds statement-type questions on the one-word differences, as in Q5 above.
The second is international frameworks with a number in them: the 30x30 target, the framework's year of adoption, the city that hosted a COP, and the names of the Rio conventions. Tracking the COP of the year is useful, because the meeting is usually followed by a question on its outcome. This year the hook is CBD COP-17 at Yerevan, with the OECM guidelines as the Indian deliverable.
The third is institutions and Acts: the National Biodiversity Authority, State Biodiversity Boards and Biodiversity Management Committees under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002, versus the National Tiger Conservation Authority and the National Board for Wildlife under the Wildlife Act. Keep the two sets apart and the "which body does what" questions become easy.
Preparing for CDS? Pair this article with our notes on conservation and protected areas and wetlands and Ramsar sites, and draw the protected-area table from memory once. Follow the daily CDS current affairs, and learn with experienced faculty in the upcoming Cavalier courses in Delhi.
Source: PIB / Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, "Union Environment Minister Shri Bhupender Yadav releases Guidelines for Designation of India's Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures (I-OECMs), 2026, at CBD COP-17 in Yerevan, Armenia", 4 November 2026. OECM definition from CBD Decision 14/8 (2018) and IUCN WCPA guidance (2019); global coverage from the UNEP-WCMC and IUCN Protected Planet Report 2024; protected-area figures from the Wildlife Institute of India's National Wildlife Database and India's COP-17 statement.
✍️ Written by Col D.N. Sharma — Science & general-studies faculty at The Cavalier. Reviewed by the Cavalier Faculty Desk.