- Why in news
- On 3 November 2026, at CBD COP-17 in Yerevan, Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav released India's Guidelines for designating Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures (I-OECMs), 2026.
- What it is
- OECMs are areas outside formal protected areas that still deliver lasting in-situ conservation of biodiversity. The concept comes from the Convention on Biological Diversity and is linked to Target 3 (30x30) of the Kunming-Montreal framework. India's I-OECM guidelines set a national process to recognise and report such sites.
- Link to KM-GBF
- The guidelines support India's work on Target 3 (30x30) of the KM-GBF and National Biodiversity Target 3 of the updated NBSAP (2024-2030).
- Who prepared them
- MoEFCC prepared the guidelines with the National Biodiversity Authority (NBA). NBA takes applications and decides with MoEFCC.
- Recognition status
- I-OECM recognition does not make an area protected and does not change its ownership or legal status.
- Reporting database
- Recognised sites will be published on the World Database on Protected and Conserved Areas with UNEP-WCMC.
- CBD protocols
- The Cartagena Protocol (biosafety) and the Nagoya Protocol (access and benefit sharing) are the two protocols to the CBD.
- Venue and host
- COP-17 of the CBD is being held in Yerevan, Armenia. Armenia's Environment Minister, Hambardzum Matevosyan, is its President.
- Cartagena Protocol report
- India released its 5th National Report on the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, which concerns reporting and biosafety governance.
- Nagoya Protocol
- The Nagoya Protocol is the basis for fair and equitable sharing of benefits from using genetic resources.
- Indian ABS institution
- India's National Biodiversity Authority (NBA), set up under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002, implements ABS in India. It partnered in organising the side event.
- Kunming-Montreal Framework
- The framework was adopted in December 2022 at COP-15 (Montreal). It includes the '30 by 30' target to protect 30% of land and sea by 2030.
- India's national targets
- India's updated National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan turns the Global Biodiversity Framework into 23 National Biodiversity Targets and 142 indicators.
- Digital sequence information
- India supports sharing benefits from digital sequence information on genetic resources through the multilateral mechanism, including the Cali Fund.
- India's protected area figures
- India reported 1,134 Protected Areas, 103 Ramsar sites, 57 Biodiversity Heritage Sites and 18 Biosphere Reserves, 13 of them in UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere Network.
Don’t confuse with OECM vs protected area: A protected area has legal protection status. An OECM is recognised for effective conservation outcomes but its legal status stays unchanged.
Don’t confuse with Cartagena vs Nagoya Protocol: Cartagena covers biosafety of living modified organisms. Nagoya covers access to genetic resources and fair sharing of benefits.
Don’t confuse with Cartagena Protocol vs Nagoya Protocol: Cartagena deals with biosafety, the safe handling of living modified organisms. Nagoya deals with access to genetic resources and fair sharing of benefits.
Don’t confuse with Protected areas vs OECMs: Protected areas are formally designated for conservation. OECMs are other areas that deliver conservation outcomes through their management, even if conservation is not their main aim.
Don’t confuse with CBD vs Ramsar Convention: The CBD covers all biodiversity. The Ramsar Convention covers wetlands only. India counts 103 Ramsar sites.
International bodies and relations: the largest group of news questions in Prelims (61 since 2013), often about background, members and location. In Mains, 27 news-triggered questions, mostly on India's interests.
Why it matters
- Helps India move toward the 30x30 target by counting community and landscape-managed areas without new legal restrictions.
- Gives formal recognition to sacred groves, community tanks and similar sites.
- Recognising OECMs can help India count community and other managed lands towards its area-based conservation targets under the framework.
- Showcasing ABS and biosafety reporting builds India's standing in global biodiversity negotiations.
- COP-17 shows where India stands on finance and technology transfer, which decide whether the 2030 targets can be met.
- India's updated national targets link its domestic plans to the global framework.
Problems
- Sites must show measurable long-term outcomes, which needs local capacity and monitoring funds.
- Recognition brings no legal protection, so threats to sites may continue.
- Targets need sustained finance and capacity; the Minister stressed that adopting targets is not enough.
- OECM recognition needs clear criteria and governance so that conservation outcomes are real and local communities benefit.
- Developing countries want predictable finance and technology from developed countries, and gaps in these slow implementation.
- Benefit sharing from digital sequence information is hard to track and enforce.
Way forward
- Build capacity of Biodiversity Management Committees and State Boards, and use incentives and finance to sustain sites.
- Run strong monitoring and verification so the sites count as real conservation.
- Mobilise predictable finance and technology access, and strengthen South-South cooperation.
- Judge progress by implementation and conservation outcomes, with community engagement and transparent reporting.
- Operate the multilateral benefit-sharing mechanism, including the Cali Fund, so funds reach local communities.
- Strengthen village-level Biodiversity Management Committees and monitor progress against the 142 indicators.
Put in your answer
GEF-8 project demonstration sites: Six landscapes, including Gori Valley, Satkosia-Kalahandi and the Lakshadweep marinescape, will test the I-OECM guidelines.
Illustrative I-OECM sites: Examples include biodiversity parks, sacred groves, community-managed irrigation tanks, seagrass and seaweed beds, and fisheries seasonal ban areas.
Minister's test of progress: Progress should be measured by implementation, benefits delivered and sustained outcomes, not by announcements or resources mobilised.
Biological Diversity Act, 2002: India's law that created the NBA and put ABS into domestic practice, in line with the CBD.
India's national targets: India's updated NBSAP has 23 national targets and 142 indicators aligned to the global framework.
Local participation example: Village-level committees enable decentralised access and benefit sharing for local communities.
Restoration initiatives: MISHTI for mangroves and Amrit Dharohar for wetlands are cited as India's restoration efforts.
- 2026Mains GS3 · Q8Discuss aim and goals of Kunming-Montreal framework and India's commitments and initiatives.
- 2018Mains GS3 · Q17How biodiversity varies in India and how Biological Diversity Act 2002 helps conservation.
- 2024Mains GS3 · Q5IPR on life materials and reasons for low patent commercialisation in India.
- 2014Prelims Q6Global Environment Facility as financial mechanism for CBD and UNFCCC
- 2005Prelims Q138Correct statement on Cartagena Biosafety Protocol, GMOs, and CBD membership.
- 2023Prelims Q79Biodiversity Management Committees and Nagoya Protocol access and benefit sharing.
- 2012Prelims Q3How National Biodiversity Authority checks biopiracy and protects genetic resources.
UPSC’s own questions that come close to this issue, from our Prelims and Mains banks.
Prelims practice · Statement I and II
Ours, not from a UPSC paper
Consider the following statements in the context of India's Guidelines for designating Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures (I-OECMs), 2026:
- Statement-I: Recognition as an I-OECM does not make an area a protected area and does not change its ownership or legal status.
- Statement-II: An area that is already a legally protected or conserved area is eligible for recognition as an I-OECM.
Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?
True or false?
1 of 6
Statements the way Prelims prints them. Say first, then see the fact.
1.Under India's I-OECM guidelines, an area already legally protected or conserved is eligible for recognition as an I-OECM.
False. The area must not be a legally protected or conserved area.
2.Recognition as an I-OECM does not change the ownership or legal status of the area.
True. Recognition does not make the area protected or change its ownership or legal status.
3.Applications for I-OECM recognition are submitted to the State Biodiversity Boards, which take the final decision.
False. Applications go to NBA, which takes the final decision with MoEFCC; the State Board only validates and recommends.
4.The guidelines support India's implementation of Target 3 (30x30) of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
True. Target 3 is the 30x30 target.
5.Recognised I-OECM sites must have a monitoring framework assessed at least once every five years.
True. Each recognised site needs measurable indicators assessed at least every five years.
6.The Cartagena Protocol under the Convention on Biological Diversity deals with access and benefit sharing.
False. The Cartagena Protocol deals with biosafety; the Nagoya Protocol deals with access and benefit sharing.
Written by us from the release, not by UPSC; checked by a second model.
Worth revising until Prelims 2028: most news questions come within two years of the event.