Together for the Med and its partners the IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation and the SPA/RAC, are pleased to organise a practical and interactive webinar on OECMs, that will take place on January 20, 2026.
About OECMs
Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures (OECMs) are gaining increasing attention at global and regional levels as a key tool to complement Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and contribute to Target 3 of the CBD Global Biodiversity Framework and to the Barcelona Convention Post-2020 Regional Strategy for Marine and Coastal Protected Areas (MCPAs) and OECMs in the Mediterranean, calling for the protection of 30% of the sea by 2030.
As Mediterranean actors are showing growing interest in how OECMs can be identified, assessed, confirmed, and reported in practice, notably in the marine context, the IUCN and SPA/RAC have been working on a marine OECM roadmap and Guidance document respectively to support the countries and relevant actors in understanding and using OECMs.
A webinar featuring experts in conservation areas
In this context, Together for the Med, IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation and the SPA/RAC are pleased to organise the webinar « Understanding and Using the Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures (OECMs) to Achieve the 30×30 Target in the Mediterranean« .
Date: January 20, 2026
Time: 2PM-4PM CET
Format: Online
Webinar objectives
During this webinar, we will aim to:
- Clarify what OECMs are and how they can be useful for marine conservation
- Present emerging tools and methodologies to assess whether a site qualifies as a marine OECM
- Share an overview of the current state of play on OECM early experiences from the Mediterranean and beyond
- Identify key needs, challenges, and open questions from Mediterranean stakeholders
Participants will be invited to bring their questions and concerns to this highly interactive session, where challenges and perspectives will be shared and discussed in order to collectively identify next steps to move OECMs forward.
Speaking at the webinar
Yaprak Arda
Marine Programme Officer at the IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation, working on marine biodiversity and regional conservation frameworks in the Mediterranean.
Asma Kheriji
Specially Protected Area (SPA) Programme Manager at the SPA/RAC, involved in advancing marine conservation tools and transboundary approaches in the Mediterranean.
François Simard
Former Deputy Director of the IUCN Global Marine and Polar Programme, with extensive experience in global marine policy and area-based conservation measures.
Sue Wells
International marine conservation expert with decades of experience leading marine programmes for IUCN, WWF, and Fauna & Flora International, and contributor to global guidance on MPAs and OECMs with the SPA/RAC.