UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) and the Regional Centre for Mapping of Resources for Development (RCMRD), through the BIOPAMA Programme, hosted an online event designed to provide an overview of Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measure (OECMs) – what they are, how to identify and recognise them, and how to report these important sites to the World Database on OECMs. The case studies focused on examples from Eastern and Southern Africa.

This BIOPAMA webinar provided an overview of OECMs from Harry Jonas who is the co-chair of the IUCN’s specialist group on OECMs. He described what OECMs are, where the definition came from, and what they mean for conservation. We also heard from experts in Eswatini (Wisdom Dlamini from The University of Eswatini) and South Africa (Daniel Marnewick, from BirdLife South Africa) giving first-hand experience on how they undertook the process of identifying OECMs in their countries, and what lessons they learned during this process. 33 participants from multiple countries across Eastern and Southern Africa and Europe attended this session. Through the BIOPAMA programme, UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) will be hosting a follow up online workshop in 2021, to help other interested countries identify and report OECMs.

Please do reach out to UNEP-WCMC if you are interested at Jessica.stewart@unep-wcmc.org

Resources of the event:

• watch the recording

• short survey

• Presentations