Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav released the Guidelines for the designation of India’s Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures (I-OECMs) 2026 at a side event of the 17th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity in Yerevan, Armenia. Prepared by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change in partnership with the National Biodiversity Authority, the guidelines provide a framework for recognising areas outside legally protected zones that deliver sustained outcomes for biodiversity conservation.
According to the release, the guidelines cover terrestrial, inland water, coastal, and marine ecosystems, including biodiversity parks, sacred groves, and community-managed irrigation tanks. Applications for recognition may be submitted by government departments, local self-governments, and Biodiversity Management Committees to the National Biodiversity Authority. Recognised sites will be published on the World Database on Protected and Conserved Areas, though recognition does not alter an area’s existing activities, ownership, or legal status.
Additionally, the government has commissioned a GEF-8 Project to implement the guidelines across six demonstration landscapes and seascapes over 72 months from May 2026 to May 2032. The project has a total financing of USD 60.79 million and aims to add 3 per cent of India’s land and marine area to the country’s conservation estate through OECMs and community initiatives.
What it means
- Applications can be submitted by Central and State Government departments, local self-governments, and Biodiversity Management Committees to the National Biodiversity Authority.
- The National Biodiversity Authority will forward applications to the concerned State Biodiversity Board or Union Territory Biodiversity Council within 30 days.
- Recognised sites must be assessed through a monitoring framework at least once every five years.
Source
Press Information Bureau, Government of India, “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”. Read the original release.
Summary of an official release for general information only. Not investment advice. Read the original source before acting on any information.
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