India Releases I-OECM Guidelines 2026 at CBD COP-17
Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change · Environment · Posted 04 NOV 2026 7:15PM
What happened
The Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change released the Guidelines for India’s Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures (I-OECMs) 2026 at CBD COP-17 in Yerevan, Armenia, accompanied by a GEF-8 project to aid biodiversity conservation targets.
Why it matters for UPSC
This topic is important for UPSC General Studies Paper III (Environment and Biodiversity conservation, international conventions like CBD, and policy frameworks like KM-GBF).
Key objectives
- Release of Guidelines for India's Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures (I-OECMs) 2026 at CBD COP-17 in Yerevan, Armenia.
- Implementation of Target 3 (30x30) of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and National Biodiversity Target 3 under NBSAP (2024-2030).
- Commissioning of a USD 60.79 million GEF-8 Project across six demonstration landscapes and seascapes to add 3 per cent of India's land and marine area to the conservation estate.