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This report, commissioned by UNDP South Africa and published by WWF South Africa, provides a roadmap for implementing Other Effective area-based Conservation Measures (OECMs) to help South Africa meet the Global Biodiversity Framework's '30x30' target. It identifies potential marine OECM mechanisms, assesses their biodiversity value and area-based contributions, estimates recognition costs, and proposes a structured national framework for identification, assessment, and reporting.

This briefing by the South African Institute of International Affairs examines the role of 'other effective area-based conservation measures' (OECMs) in Africa. It argues that OECMs, which are sites outside formal protected areas managed to deliver long-term biodiversity and socio-economic benefits, are essential for engaging local communities and achieving biodiversity targets. Through case studies in South Africa and Kenya, the document demonstrates how community-private sector partnerships can create sustainable livelihoods while protecting ecosystems, and calls for African governments to align on a community-centred conservation agenda for the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) COP.