Other Effective Area Based Conservation Measures
The identification and recognition of Other Effective Area Based Conservation Measures (OECMs) will play an important role in recognising the contribution made by management measures in the wider environment outside of Marine Protected Areas to the conservation of marine habitats and species. OECMs will also contribute to OSPAR’s progress towards its target of protecting 30% of the OSPAR Maritime Area by 2030, in line with global targets.
The OSPAR guidance on applying OECMs is grounded in the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) definition, identification criteria and processes for recognising OECMs, and provides additional detail on applying the criteria in the context of the north-east Atlantic. This is designed to underpin a consistent and coherent regional approach to identifying, recognising and reporting OECMs in the North-East Atlantic.
BRIEFING NOTE: OSPAR guidance on other effective area based conservation measures (OECMS)
