Union Environment Minister Shri Bhupender Yadav releases Guidelines for Designation of India's Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures (I-OECMs), 2026, at CBD COP-17 in Yerevan, Armenia

Union Environment Minister Shri Bhupender Yadav released the Guidelines for the designation of India's Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures (I-OECMs) 2026 at CBD COP-17 in Yerevan, Armenia on 03 November 2026. The guidelines support India's 30x30 biodiversity targets under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

• The Guidelines were prepared by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) in partnership with the National Biodiversity Authority (NBA).
• The GEF-8 Project was approved by the Local Project Appraisal Committee on 29 December 2025 and runs for 72 months from 15 May 2026 to 15 May 2032.
• The project has a total financing of USD 60.79 million, comprising a GEF Trust Fund grant of USD 6.65 million and confirmed co-financing of USD 54.14 million.
• The six demonstration sites for the GEF-8 Project are the Gori Valley in Uttarakhand, the Kumbhalgarh–Mount Abu–Jaisalmer landscape in Rajasthan, the Satkosia–Kalahandi landscape in Odisha, the Srisailam–Cumbum landscape in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, the Sahyadri–Konkan landscape in Maharashtra and Goa, and the Lakshadweep Islands Marinescape.
• The project aims to add 3 per cent of India's land and marine area to the country's conservation estate, establish 50,000 hectares of new terrestrial conservation areas, and restore at least 5,000 hectares of degraded land.