# OECM 2026: Government issues guidelines to recognise biodiversity-friendly areas URL: https://kasba.co.in/en/story/oecm-2026-government-issues-guidelines-to-recognise-biodiver Language: en · Section: Nation · Published: 2026-11-05 Source: PIB, "केंद्रीय पर्यावरण मंत्री श्री भूपेंद्र यादव ने आर्मेनिया के येरेवन में आयोजित सीबीडी सीओपी-17 में 'भारत के अन्य प्रभावी क्षेत्र-आधारित संरक्षण उपायों (आई-ओईसीएम), 2026' के निर्धारण के लिए दिशानिर्देश जारी किए", 2026-11-04, https://pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=2332846 Union Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav released guidelines on 3 November 2026, at CBD COP-17 in Yerevan, Armenia, for identifying India's Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures (OECM) 2026. These allow areas that are not legally protected but do conserve biodiversity to be formally recognised. ## What this means for you Ordinary citizens have no form to fill or money to claim under this. Applications to the National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) can be filed only by central and state government departments, agencies and institutions, local self-governance bodies and Biodiversity Management Committees. If your area has a sacred grove, biodiversity park or a community-managed tank, you can raise it with your panchayat or Biodiversity Management Committee. Recognition will not change ownership or the legal status of the land. ## Key facts - Guidelines released on 3 November 2026 in Yerevan, Armenia - Prepared by MoEFCC along with the National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) - Four conditions are mandatory, including that the area is not legally protected - NBA will send each application to the state biodiversity board within 30 days - The board will send its recommendation to NBA within 30 days - Each recognised site will be assessed at least once every five years ## What happened Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupendra Yadav released the "Guidelines for identification of India's Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures (OECM) 2026" on 3 November 2026, at a side event of the 17th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP-17) in Yerevan, Armenia. The event was organised by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), the National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). ## What an OECM is According to the minister, OECM is a new phase in conservation, in which biodiversity is effectively conserved 'in-situ' through effective landscape management outside forests and protected areas. The guidelines were prepared by MoEFCC along with NBA. They provide a framework to identify and report areas that lie outside legally protected areas but deliver positive, long-term results for biodiversity conservation. ## Which areas are covered The guidelines cover terrestrial, inland water, coastal and marine ecosystems. Examples include biodiversity parks, sacred groves, community-managed irrigation tanks, areas with seagrass and seaweed, and areas with seasonal fishing bans. ## Conditions for recognition Four conditions are mandatory. First, the area must not be legally protected or reserved. Second, it must be managed under a central or state government framework, or by government-recognised local bodies such as panchayats and Biodiversity Management Committees. Third, its boundaries must be clearly defined and it must not overlap an area already recorded in the World Database on Protected Areas. Fourth, recognition must not change existing activities, governance or rules in that area. An area may also qualify on the basis of its biodiversity importance, ecosystem services and cultural values. ## How to apply Central and state government departments, agencies and institutions, local self-governance bodies and Biodiversity Management Committees can submit applications to NBA. NBA will do a preliminary check and send each application to the concerned state biodiversity board or UT biodiversity council within 30 days. That board or council will verify the information and send its recommendation to NBA within 30 days. NBA, with the help of an inter-departmental OECM committee and in coordination with MoEFCC, will take the final decision. Each recognised site must have a monitoring framework with measurable indicators, assessed at least once every five years. ## What will not change The guidelines state clearly that OECM recognition does not make an area a 'protected area' and does not change its ownership or legal status. They also provide for capacity-building programmes by NBA, state biodiversity boards and related departments. ## What happens next The government has started a GEF-8 project to apply these guidelines in six demonstration landscapes and seascapes, approved by the Local Project Appraisal Committee on 29 December 2025. The project will run from 15 May 2026 to 15 May 2032, for 72 months, with a total budget of USD 60.79 million, including a USD 6.65 million grant from the GEF Trust Fund and USD 54.14 million in confirmed co-financing. It aims to add 3 per cent more land and marine area to India's conservation coverage through OECMs and other initiatives, over and above the 27 per cent already protected. It targets 50,000 hectares of new terrestrial conservation areas, restoration of at least 5,000 hectares of degraded land, and direct benefits to at least 50,000 people, half of them women. ## Questions and answers **What is an OECM?** OECM means Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures, that is, areas that are not legally protected but do conserve biodiversity in practice. According to the minister, it is effective 'in-situ' conservation of biodiversity through effective landscape management outside forests and protected areas. **Who can apply for OECM recognition?** Central and state government departments, agencies and institutions, local self-governance bodies and Biodiversity Management Committees can submit applications to NBA. The notice does not speak of direct applications by ordinary citizens. **What conditions must an area meet?** Four conditions are mandatory. The area must not be legally protected or reserved; it must be managed under a central or state government framework or by government-recognised local bodies such as panchayats and Biodiversity Management Committees; its boundaries must be clear and it must not overlap an area already in the World Database on Protected Areas; and recognition must not change existing activities, governance or rules there. **Will OECM recognition change my rights over the land?** No. The guidelines state clearly that OECM recognition does not make an area a 'protected area' and does not change its ownership or legal status. **How will an application be decided?** NBA will do a preliminary check and send the application to the concerned state biodiversity board or UT biodiversity council within 30 days. That board or council will verify the information and send its recommendation to NBA within 30 days. NBA, with the help of an inter-departmental OECM committee and in coordination with MoEFCC, will take the final decision. Kasba Desk, Kasba. This routine notice was drafted with AI from an official source and published automatically; an editor reviews it after publishing.