Protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures (OECMs) are central to global efforts to conserve species, habitats, and ecosystem function and services, with their importance highlighted in major multilateral environmental agreements, including Target 3 of the Kunming-Montréal Global Biodiversity Framework.

While protected areas are well established and widely embedded in policy, OECMs are a newer but equally important and complementary approach. OECMs encompass a diverse range of managed areas and are important sites for biodiversity and support essential ecosystem functions and services. In addition to having ecological importance, OECMs can be socially, culturally, economically and spiritually important, and can be implemented in ways that foster inclusive governance and management.

Like protected areas, OECMs are ecologically sensitive areas that are recognized within a growing number of private sector nature-related impact disclosure frameworks and standards, which require organizations to identify and mitigate potential negative impacts on them. Accessible and high-quality data on the distribution and extent of OECMs, in conjunction with guidance on what OECMs are, is therefore crucial for improving nature-related decision making.

This guidance document introduces the concept of OECMs, explains their importance and relationship to protected areas, and outlines how the Integrated Biodiversity Assessment Tool (IBAT) can be used to access information relating to both from the World Database on Protected and Conserved Areas (WDPCA).