Strengthening the Enabling Environment for Inclusive and Effective OECMs in Latin America

The document examines the implementation of OECMs in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, and Peru, arguing that while the region has immense potential due to existing Complementary Conservation Areas (CCAs) and Indigenous and Traditional Territories (ITTs), systemic gaps in tenure security, legal coherence, and financial support must be addressed to ensure conservation is inclusive and effective.

• OECM implementation is progressing at different speeds across the six studied countries. Colombia is the regional leader, having adopted recognition guidelines in 2021 and reporting 47 OECMs. Peru and Ecuador have recognized five areas each, while Brazil and Mexico have had discussions but no formal framework, and Bolivia is in an incipient stage.
• There is significant potential for OECM recognition through Complementary Conservation Areas (CCAs), with 54 identified categories including sacred sites, privately conserved areas, and communally managed forests. Additionally, legally recognized Indigenous and Traditional Territories (ITTs) cover approximately 400 million hectares, or 28% of the total land area of the six countries.
• Tenure insecurity remains a critical barrier to inclusive conservation. Despite strong constitutional provisions, there are persistent gaps in effective protection, characterized by titling backlogs and overlapping claims, which leave territories vulnerable to land grabbing and resource conflicts.
• Legal and policy frameworks are often contradictory; while they provide strong theoretical protections for human and environmental rights, they are frequently overridden by sectoral laws that prioritize large-scale extractive and infrastructure projects, especially in CCAs and ITTs compared to formal Protected Areas (PAs).
• Significant capacity gaps exist in management, monitoring, and institutional support. Local initiatives often lack the sustained technical and financial resources needed for durable outcomes, and the formal monitoring requirements of OECM frameworks can overburden local actors or fail to translate culturally grounded knowledge systems.
• Current economic systems prioritize destructive activities like agribusiness and mining through State subsidies. While financial instruments such as payments for ecosystem services (PES) exist in five of the six countries (excluding Bolivia), they are often described as unreliable, temporary, or misaligned with local priorities.

APA

WWF International (2025). Strengthening the Enabling Environment for Inclusive and Effective OECMs in Latin America. https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/1829/EN_OECM_E.S._and_Recs.pdf

Chicago

WWF International. Strengthening the Enabling Environment for Inclusive and Effective OECMs in Latin America. 2025. https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/1829/EN_OECM_E.S._and_Recs.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=WWF International |title=Strengthening the Enabling Environment for Inclusive and Effective OECMs in Latin America |date=2025 |url=https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/1829/EN_OECM_E.S._and_Recs.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{wwfinternational2025strengthening, author = {{WWF International}}, title = {{Strengthening the Enabling Environment for Inclusive and Effective OECMs in Latin America}}, institution = {WWF International}, year = {2025}, url = {https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/1829/EN_OECM_E.S._and_Recs.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }