Nepal’s biodiversity beyond protected area: gaps, opportunities, and road-maps to advance OECM

The Other Effective Areas-Based Conservation Measures (OECMs) framework has emerged through the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) to promote in-situ conservation of biodiversity resources beyond protected areas and support the global 30×30 conservation area target. Following OECMs principles and incorporating high-biodiversity value areas along with stakeholder and rights-holders’ inputs, a total of 63 potential indicative OECMs sites were identified, and corresponding guidelines and action plans were prepared. A total of 27 workshops were conducted across 7 provinces, 14 local governments, and 5 focus groups, engaging 1,046 participants, including 317 women and 408 indigenous peoples. This article shares Nepal’s experience in the process of identifying potential indicative OECM sites and highlights the rationale, opportunities, and plans for advancing OECMs in the country. It is recommended to verify the indicative sites and advance the OECMs' acknowledgement process through obtaining the consent of indigenous people and local communities.