Actions
Action 3.1 - es
Action 3.3 - es

3.2. Ensure that protected and conserved area networks are representative of all natural ecosystems and well connected.

Subactions

  • 3.2.1. Analyse gaps in existing protected and conserved area networks for species. - es
  • 3.2.2. Identify, report, and maintain Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures (OECMs) to benefit species. - es

    Other tools and resources

    A stocktaking report on other effective area-based conservation measures in China : first edition

    Other effective area-based conservation measures (OECMs) have been long recognised as an effective approach for safeguarding biodiversity at local, national and global levels. This report takes stock of the policies and practices relevant to OECMs in China. The report explores the critical role of OECMs in China’s conservation efforts, emphasising their potential contribution to the country’s commitment to Target 3 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF). With well-established policies and practical evidence base in place, China is poised to embrace OECMs through both top-down and bottom-up approaches.

  • 3.2.3. Focus expansion of protected and conserved areas on sites of high importance for species, including ecological corridors. - es

    Solutions and case studies

    Building a protected areas network in the world’s largest freshwater ecosystem.

    North America’s Laurentian Great Lakes truly are great. These “inland seas” represent the world’s largest freshwater ecosystem, with over 21% of the earth’s surface freshwater. And yet for all their importance these lakes have suffered much. Climate change, invasive species, contaminants and habitat loss are just some of the stresses that have profoundly impacted and altered them.

    It is a challenging context for conservation, and accordingly, protected area agencies and partners across the lakes have sought ways to strengthen and enhance the effectiveness of their efforts. To this end, the Great Lakes Protected Areas Network (GLPAN) was established to improve communication and facilitate collaboration at the binational (Canada-United States) scale. One outcome of this partnership has been better profile and awareness of protected and conserved areas on other binational platforms, most notably the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement.

  • 3.2.4. Support transboundary conservation areas where species’ populations cross national borders. - es

    Solutions and case studies

    Building a protected areas network in the world’s largest freshwater ecosystem.

    North America’s Laurentian Great Lakes truly are great. These “inland seas” represent the world’s largest freshwater ecosystem, with over 21% of the earth’s surface freshwater. And yet for all their importance these lakes have suffered much. Climate change, invasive species, contaminants and habitat loss are just some of the stresses that have profoundly impacted and altered them.

    It is a challenging context for conservation, and accordingly, protected area agencies and partners across the lakes have sought ways to strengthen and enhance the effectiveness of their efforts. To this end, the Great Lakes Protected Areas Network (GLPAN) was established to improve communication and facilitate collaboration at the binational (Canada-United States) scale. One outcome of this partnership has been better profile and awareness of protected and conserved areas on other binational platforms, most notably the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement.

Primary tools and resources

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Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs)

KBAs are sites that ‘contribute significantly to the global persistence of biodiversity in terrestrial, freshwater, and marine ecosystems’. KBAs are identified on the basis of species or ecosystems, according to five criteria and 11 subcriteria, all supported by quantitative thresholds. The KBA Global Standard details the criteria and subcriteria. KBA sites must meet one of the criteria and be clearly delineated. Proposed sites are independently reviewed and once accepted are included in the World Database of KBAs.

KBAs are normally identified by a KBA National Coordination Group (NCG). However, anyone with appropriate data may propose a site as a KBA, but they are they are encouraged to work with the NCG if one exists and consultation with relevant stakeholders at the local and national level is required and needs to be documented in the proposal. Where a KBA NCG has not yet been established, proposers submit a site proposal directly.

The Key Biodiversity Areas Partnership is composed of 13 leading international organizations including IUCN. It maintains a KBA Committee, Secretariat, a Technical Working Group, a KBA Consultative Forum, and the World Database of Key Biodiversity Areas. An independent KBA Standards and Appeals Committee has been established under the authority of the elected SSC and WCPA Chairs.

How to use

Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures (OECM)

The governments of the world adopted the following definition of an OECM in 2018: “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”. OECMs complement protected areas through sustained, positive conservation outcomes, even though they may be managed primarily for other reasons. These sites are documented in the World Database on OECMs. This definition was only recently adopted and most countries have not yet provided data, but this does not mean that no OECMs exist in those countries. The World Database on OECMs is available on the Protected Planet website.

How to use

For IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) guidance on recognising OECMs:

https://doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.CH.2019.PATRS.3.en

To search for information on an existing site on the World Database on OECMs:

https://resources.unep-wcmc.org/products/4c1733823f2a451e8d5ecbaaef3f1a06WDPA

IUCN Green List of Protected and Conserved Areas Standard

A protected or conserved area that reaches the IUCN Green List Standard is certified and recognised as achieving ongoing results for people and nature in a fair and effective way. A site that gains ‘Green List’ status demonstrates: Respect: for the local community through fair and meaningful engagement of rights-holders and stakeholders; Design: planning that identifies the needs to secure  the important values of the area; Effective management: monitoring of the status of these important values; Successful conservation results: for nature and for people; Clear contribution: to climate change responses, health and well-being and other challenges. The seventeen criteria collectively describe the efforts needed to fully achieve the global Sustainability Standard and all must be achieved for a site to be green-listed. The indicators can be adapted to suit the local context. Any site can join, and work towards achieving verified success, and then attain the Standard or further improve.

IUCN Important Marine Mammals Areas (IMMAs)

Important Marine Mammal Areas (IMMAs) are defined as discrete portions of habitat important to marine mammal species that have the potential to be delineated and managed for conservation. IMMAs consist of areas that may merit place-based protection and/or monitoring. IMMAs are identified through an independent, expert process.

IUCN Guidelines for conserving connectivity through ecological networks and corridors

Connectivity conservation is essential for managing healthy ecosystems, conserving biodiversity and adapting to climate change across all biomes and spatial scales. Well-connected ecosystems support a diversity of ecological functions such as migration, hydrology, nutrient cycling, pollination, seed dispersal, food security, climate resilience and disease resistance. These Guidelines are based on the best available science and practice for maintaining, enhancing and restoring ecological connectivity among and between protected areas, other effective areas based conservation measures (OECMs) and other intact ecosystems. For the first time, this publication introduces a common definition and recommends formal recognition of ecological corridors to serve as critical building blocks of ecological networks in conjunction with protected areas and OECMs. Furthermore, these Guidelines also include 25 case studies that demonstrate current approaches to conserving ecological connectivity and ecological networks for different ecosystems and species, and at different spatial and temporal scales.

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Other tools and resources

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A stocktaking report on other effective area-based conservation measures in China : first edition

Other effective area-based conservation measures (OECMs) have been long recognised as an effective approach for safeguarding biodiversity at local, national and global levels. This report takes stock of the policies and practices relevant to OECMs in China. The report explores the critical role of OECMs in China’s conservation efforts, emphasising their potential contribution to the country’s commitment to Target 3 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF). With well-established policies and practical evidence base in place, China is poised to embrace OECMs through both top-down and bottom-up approaches.

The state of protected and conserved areas in Eastern and Southern Africa : second edition

This second edition of The state of protected and conserved areas in Eastern and Southern Africa builds on the first edition published in 2020 and provides updates on how the region is managing and governing protected and conserved areas, effectively providing a regional update on the progress towards the achievement of Target 3 of the Global Biodiversity framework. While the first edition was published in relation to the previous global targets (in particular Aichi Target 11), this edition covers progress on the common indicators around management effectiveness and governance and expands to include additional information that corresponds to the revised target on PCAs (Target 3).

CMS PRELIMINARY REPORT ON THE SITE NETWORK FOR WATERBIRDS IN THE AGREEMENT AREA, 1st EDITION

The purpose of the report is to provide the national administrative authorities of AEWA with a strategic overview of:

a) the knowledge of the extent and distribution of sites of international importance2 for and used by each of the species on the Agreement;

b) the extent to which these sites of international importance are statutorily or otherwise designated under relevant international processes;

c) the extent to which internationally important sites are subject to directed management for the purposes of the conservation of the waterbirds for which they are internationally important; a

d) instances where populations of waterbirds depend on key unprotected sites of importance, the loss of which would be of significance for the population concerned (for example unprotected ‘bottleneck’ sites, or unprotected sites in migration corridors of restricted geographical extent).

IUCN Resolution WCC-2020-Res-073 “Ecological connectivity conservation in the post-2020 global biodiversity framework: from local to international levels”

Ecological connectivity conservation in the post-2020 global biodiversity framework: from local to international levels

International Whaling Commission Sanctuaries Conservation Management Plans (CMPs)

Conservation Management Plans (CMPs) are an important conservation initiative of the IWC.  They provide a framework for countries within the range of vulnerable cetacean populations (known as range states) to work together, and in collaboration with other relevant stakeholders, to protect and rebuild those populations.

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Solutions and case studies

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Building a protected areas network in the world’s largest freshwater ecosystem.

North America’s Laurentian Great Lakes truly are great. These “inland seas” represent the world’s largest freshwater ecosystem, with over 21% of the earth’s surface freshwater. And yet for all their importance these lakes have suffered much. Climate change, invasive species, contaminants and habitat loss are just some of the stresses that have profoundly impacted and altered them.

It is a challenging context for conservation, and accordingly, protected area agencies and partners across the lakes have sought ways to strengthen and enhance the effectiveness of their efforts. To this end, the Great Lakes Protected Areas Network (GLPAN) was established to improve communication and facilitate collaboration at the binational (Canada-United States) scale. One outcome of this partnership has been better profile and awareness of protected and conserved areas on other binational platforms, most notably the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement.

Conserving Long Distance Migration for Mule Deer

Mule deer are an iconic migratory species of the western United States. Wyoming has some of the longest, most intact mule deer migrations in the lower 48 states. As anthropogenic influences increase and migrating ungulates continue to decline worldwide, a focus on protecting migration paths must be emphasized.

Mule deer travel across Wyoming to merge with 5,000 more mule deer for the winter where they continue their migration north. A pinch point known as the Fremont Lake ‘bottleneck’ was a serious threat to the migration path; the deer squeeze through a 400m wide area twice a year. The migration path through the bottleneck was blocked by a 2.5m tall woven wire fence. The area was identified as an important area for migration and was purchased by a national non-profit the Conservation Fund. The land was transfered to the Wyoming Game and Fish Department and designated as the Luke Lynch Wildlife Habitat Management Area preventing the obstruction of the migration corridor.

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Actors

Gobiernos
Government agencies

UICN
IUCN

Organizaciones de las Naciones Unidas o intergubernamentales y convenios y acuerdos relacionados con la biodiversidad
United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre

Sociedad civil (incluidas las ONG)
Alliance for Zero Extinction
Key Biodiversity Area Secretariat

Pueblos indígenas y comunidades locales