Target 3 Community of Practice
Introduction
The Target 3 Community of Practice is a joint initiative of the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and IUCN-WCPA. It builds on the legacy of the Friends of the Programme of Work on Protected Areas (PoWPA) and the Aichi 11 Partnership. Bringing together organizations, Indigenous Peoples and local communities (IPLCs), international, regional and local institutions, government representatives, and other stakeholders, it aims to support the implementation of Target 3 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
This community of practice has been informed by an informal meeting of partners convened at COP 15 on 12 December and a dedicated meeting held in Cambridge, United Kingdom, from 12-14 June 2023. The community of practice aims to:
• Enhance understanding of the needs and gaps in technical and financial support.
• Strengthen coordination and alignment of support for implementation efforts, optimizing efficiency and providing targeted technical and financial support to address critical gaps.
• Foster technical capacity through access to knowledge, best practice, technical tools, and guidance.
• Reinforce linkages with other relevant targets, showcasing how Target 3's success can ripple through the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, while demonstrating how other targets can reciprocally support Target 3.
Webinar 1: Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures (OECMs)- 9 JUNE 2025
This webinar examined the role of Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures (OECMs) in achieving Target 3 of the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF). Speakers shared policy guidance, regional experiences, and practical lessons on identifying, governing, and reporting OECMs, highlighting their complementarity with protected and conserved areas and the central importance of long-term biodiversity outcomes.
Speaker Highlights
Sakhile Silitshena (CBD Secretariat)
Opened the webinar by situating OECMs within relevant CBD decisions and highlighting the importance of the Target 3 Community of Practice as a platform that brings people together to strengthen capacities and exchange experiences across regions.
Brent Mitchell (IUCN WCPA)
Provided an overview of the Target 3 Community of Practice, emphasizing peer learning and practical support for countries. Brent underscored the need to scale effective area-based conservation beyond protected areas while maintaining integrity and credibility, noting that “Target 3 will only succeed if we scale credible area-based conservation while maintaining integrity, transparency, and shared learning.”
Harry Jonas (WWF / IUCN-WCPA OECM Specialist Group)
Presented technical guidance on OECMs, including definitions, criteria, and reporting requirements. Harry stressed that effective governance and demonstrated biodiversity outcomes matter more than formal legal designation alone, stating that “the defining feature of an OECM is not its label or legal status, but the sustained, positive outcomes it delivers for biodiversity.”
Daniel Marnewick (IUCN ESARO)
Shared experiences from Eastern and Southern Africa, highlighting national dialogues, emerging case studies, and lessons learned. He emphasized the value of inclusive processes and cross-sectoral engagement, noting that “national dialogues are essential to build trust and clarity around OECMs and to ensure countries identify measures that truly meet the criteria.”
Lucía Ruiz Bustos (WWF)
Discussed OECMs in Latin America, focusing on community-led initiatives and their integration into national conservation strategies. She highlighted the role of local governance, conservation finance, and recognition of existing practices, noting that “across Latin America, many community-led initiatives already function as OECMs; the challenge is recognition, not creation.”
Sunita Chaudhary (ICIMOD)
Presented a transboundary OECM case between Nepal and India, outlining both opportunities and challenges. She emphasized cooperation, ecosystem connectivity, and alignment with climate adaptation goals, highlighting that “transboundary OECMs show how cooperation and ecological connectivity can strengthen both biodiversity conservation and climate resilience.”
Carolina Hazin (The Nature Conservancy)
Addressed common misconceptions about OECMs, including concerns that they may dilute conservation ambition or replace protected areas. Caroline stressed that “OECMs when applied rigorously, they strengthen Target 3 and complement protected areas.”
WEBINAR 2: Sustainable Finance Mechanisms for Protected and Conserved Areas
Community of Practice on Target 3-Sept 2, 2025
Leading experts in conservation finance shared their insights on how sustainable finance mechanisms can accelerate implementation of Target 3 of the KMGBF. Discussions focused on scaling financial solutions to support protected and conserved areas (PCAs), closing biodiversity finance gaps, strengthening governance, and ensuring long-term financial sustainability.
The session highlighted the role of conservation trust funds, biodiversity finance planning under BIOFIN, private sector engagement, and landscape-scale investment strategies. Participants reflected on how national biodiversity strategies and action plans (NBSAPs) can integrate finance solutions, and how partnerships between governments, philanthropy, multilateral institutions, and local actors can unlock transformative investment.
Speaker Highlights
David Meyers (Conservation Finance Alliance / IUCN WCPA)
Emphasized the scale of the biodiversity finance gap and the importance of diversified financing portfolios for protected and conserved areas.
“If we want protected and conserved areas to endure, we must finance them as permanent institutions—not as temporary projects.”
Alonso Martinez (BIOFIN UNDP – LAC)
Presented experiences from Latin America and the Caribbean on biodiversity finance planning. Alonso highlighted how BIOFIN supports countries in identifying expenditure gaps, reforming harmful subsidies, and mobilizing domestic and international resources aligned with national biodiversity targets.
“Finance planning is not only about raising more money; it is about aligning financial flows with biodiversity outcomes.”
Zdenka Piskulich (Enduring Earth)
Highlighted Project Finance for Permanence (PFP) as a model for achieving large-scale, durable conservation outcomes through coordinated, long-term commitments.
“Transformative conservation requires financing at the scale of the ambition—and structured for permanence.”
Stephanie Lang (Legacy Landscape Fund)
Introduced the Legacy Landscape Fund and outlined the role of finance and long-term investment in securing globally significant landscapes.
“Long-term impact depends on long-term capital, coupled with strong accountability and measurable results.”
Rénée Gonzalez (FMCN – Fondo Mexicano para la Conservación de la Naturaleza)
Shared practical insights from a mature conservation trust fund. She demonstrated how trust funds can provide stable, transparent, and accountable financing structures that support protected area systems over decades.
Shared lessons from the Mexican experience on conservation trust fund supporting protected areas over decades with transparent and accountable governance structures.
“Conservation trust funds demonstrate that stable, predictable financing is achievable when institutions are built for resilience.”
Candice Stevens (Sustainable Finance Coalition / IUCN WCPA)
ddressed the integration of biodiversity into sustainable finance standards and broader financial system reform.
“We must embed biodiversity into the core of financial decision-making if we want markets to work for nature rather than against it.”
Below is the revised webinar summary with speaker-specific highlights and tailored quotes aligned with the agenda and roles.
Webinar Summary: Subnational Approaches and Diverse Governance Models for Target 3- Nov 20, 2025
This webinar examined how subnational governments and Indigenous Peoples advance the implementation of Target 3 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. The discussion positioned subnational action not as a complement to national commitments, but as a decisive level of implementation where land-use authority, governance innovation, and rights recognition converge.
Speakers presented concrete experiences from California and Québec, alongside Indigenous perspectives on governance and rights. The session moved beyond percentage targets to interrogate governance quality, legal recognition, and the role of Indigenous Peoples as rights holders and leaders in conservation.
The dialogue highlighted that achieving 30x30 requires territorial planning, institutional coordination across scales, and governance systems grounded in equity and legitimacy. The webinar reinforced that diverse governance models—including Indigenous governance systems—are central to credible and durable Target 3 implementation.
Co-organized by the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas (IUCN-WCPA), the session strengthened the Target 3 Community of Practice by connecting global ambition with subnational leadership and rights-based approaches.
Speaker Highlights and Quotes
CBD Secretariat – Opening and Framing
Set the policy context by linking Target 3 implementation to national biodiversity strategies while underscoring the decisive role of subnational actors.
“The 30 percent target is global in scope, but implementation happens in territories. Subnational leadership determines whether ambition translates into action.”
Madeline Drake Assistant Secretary – California 30x30 Strategy
Presented California’s 30x30 strategy, outlining how the state integrates biodiversity conservation, climate resilience, public access, and equity into spatial planning and policy design. She emphasized inter-agency coordination, data transparency, and community engagement as pillars of implementation.
“30x30 is not just about acres conserved; it is about ensuring those lands and waters deliver biodiversity, climate resilience, and equitable access for communities.”
Daniel Mabengo0- International Indigenous Forum on Biodiversity (IIFB)
Challenged purely quantitative interpretations of Target 3 and reframed implementation as a governance and rights-based imperative. He underscored the need to recognize Indigenous Peoples as rights holders, not stakeholders, and called for qualitative indicators of governance integrity.
“Target 3 must move beyond maps and percentages. It must recognize Indigenous governance systems and uphold rights as the foundation of conservation.”
Jacob Martin-Malus- Assistant Deputy Minister for Biodiversity, Wildlife, and Parks – Québec
Shared Québec’s approach to expanding protected areas while strengthening institutional frameworks, ecological representation, and collaboration with Indigenous governments. He highlighted the integration of biodiversity priorities into provincial planning instruments.
“Effective conservation requires strong provincial institutions, clear legal frameworks, and meaningful partnerships with Indigenous governments.”
Moderated Discussion – CBD Secretariat
Facilitated reflection on scaling subnational experiences and integrating governance diversity into NBSAPs and national reporting.
“Coordination across levels of government is essential if we want national commitments to reflect realities on the ground.”
Andrew- Rhodes IUCN-WCPA – Closing Remarks
Reinforced the importance of governance quality, equity, and effectiveness in protected and conserved areas. Emphasized the role of the Community of Practice in supporting peer learning and institutional strengthening.
“Expanding coverage is only credible if governance systems ensure ecological integrity, equity, and long-term effectiveness.”
Interview to Hernán Mladinic regarding the results of the 13th Latin American Congress on Voluntary Conservation
“Voluntary conservation demonstrates that private governance and subnational leadership are not peripheral—they are essential components of Latin America’s contribution to 30x30.”
SIDE EVENT SBSTTA 27- Panama 22 october 2025)
Bridging Knowledge and Practice: The Target 3 Community of Practice and Technical Support Centers
This in-person roundtable convened representatives from the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas (IUCN-WCPA), with contributions from Brent Mitchell (IUCN-WCPA) and Mariano Castro (CBD Secretariat), alongside panelists Ntakadzeni Tshidada (South African National Biodiversity Institute – SANBI), Dr. Jerome Montemayor (ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity – ACB), Dr. Frank Wugt Larsen (European Environment Agency – EEA), Viviana Figueroa (International Indigenous Forum on Biodiversity – IIFB), Isidoro Hazbun (HAC for Nature and People), and Natasha Ali (UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre – UNEP-WCMC). Participants discussed the complementary roles of the Target 3 Community of Practice as a global peer-learning platform and the Technical Support Centers as providers of regionally grounded technical assistance. The exchange identified concrete opportunities to align knowledge sharing, governance support, and reporting guidance to strengthen effective and equitable implementation of Target 3.