At the UN Biodiversity Summit during the 75th General Assembly in New York, Nepal proudly stated: "Twenty-three per cent of our geography has been designated as protected area, and we have achieved Aichi Target 11. We now plan to expand it to 30 per cent by 2030." These remarks underscored Nepal's leadership and long-standing commitment to biodiversity conservation, setting the stage for what is now a global movement towards an ambitious new target.

The turning point came in 2022, when the Convention on Biological Diversity adopted the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KM-GBF) at the 15th Conference of Parties. This framework provides a bold course towards the vision of "Living in Harmony with Nature" by 2050, also outlining four overarching goals and 23 action targets. Among them, one stands out as urgent and inspiring: Target 3, or the "30x30" target, which calls for conserving at least 30 per cent of the world's terrestrial, inland water, marine, and coastal areas by 2030 through a combination of protected areas, Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures (OECMs), and recognising Indigenous and Traditional Territories (ITT) where applicable. For Nepal, this presents an opportunity to build on its remarkable legacy – one rooted in the establishment of conservation areas and buffer zones.

Nepal's protected area system already covers nearly a quarter of the country's landmass (23%), stretching from the subtropical Tarai to the roof of the world, Sagarmatha. Protected area networks (national parks, wildlife reserves, hunting reserve), conservation areas, and buffer zones provide safe refuge to viable populations of several iconic species. Yet the government acknowledges that significant gaps remain in ecosystem representation as in the mid-hills, particularly in biodiversity-rich regions and areas that provide critical ecosystem services but fall outside the protected area network.

Nepal has responded to the gap with vision and resolve. The National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan and the National Forest Integrated Strategic Plan 2025-2045 both recognise the need to strengthen biodiversity-friendly management practices in community forests and forest conservation areas, including conservation corridors, critical watersheds, and underrepresented ecosystems. Building on these foundations, the government – with support from WWF Nepal – has developed a national plan to advance Target 3, giving equal importance to areas beyond protected areas systems that are vital for biodiversity and ecosystem functions and services. This plan explicitly recognises the local efforts of indigenous peoples and local communities and aims to foster both ecosystem resilience and social equity.

The development of this plan was participatory and inclusive, with a series of multi-stakeholder consultations with 14 different stakeholders, including indigenous people's organisation and local communities at the local, provincial, and national levels. The outcome was clear: OECMs hold enormous potential for Nepal.

OECMs are not replacements for protected areas but vital complements as they recognise landscapes to equally deliver effective conservation outcomes. In Nepal, this is especially relevant because forests dominate the landscape and a third of these forests are managed by local communities as community forests. These communities have long demonstrated their capacity to conserve biodiversity while supporting livelihoods.

Translating into the action on the ground, WWF Nepal is supporting the government in developing a national guideline to recognise OECMs. Following the systematic approach as outlined in the draft guideline, a pilot project has initiated OECMs recognition process in three community forests in Kamdi corridor in Banke of the Tarai Arc Landscape involving multiple stakeholders from the provincial forest ministry and directorate, division and sub-division forest offices, community forests and their network organisations, indigenous people's organisations, and down to local communities. Beyond forests, OECMs also recognise sacred groves, all farming systems that safeguard agrobiodiversity, and cultural heritage landscapes where ecological and spiritual values are deeply intertwined.

OECMs' principle is directly aligned with the Protected Area Management Strategy (2023-2030) that envisions ecological connectivity and robust networks to ensure species can move and ecosystems can adapt to climate change. OECMs will serve as vital links, extending conservation across entire landscapes and reinforcing Nepal's commitment to conserving biodiversity-rich areas.

The National Plan sets out a clear vision, mission, and strategic actions across five thematic areas and three cross-cutting elements aligned with Target 3. It calls for strengthening institutional capacity, integrating OECMs into laws and policies, advancing spatial planning, and securing sustainable financing. To this end, the plan proposes creating a Biodiversity Trust Fund of Rs 566 million ($42.6 million).

What distinguishes Nepal's approach is its community-led conservation that has already proven transformative, and OECMs now provide a platform to expand this success by safeguarding the rights, traditions, and knowledge of local communities.

This alignment of global ambition with local practice positions Nepal as a role model. In a climate-vulnerable country where floods, landslides, droughts, and heat waves are intensifying, OECMs ensure that biodiversity conservation also supports climate adaptation, disaster risk reduction, and sustainable development.

Nepal has lit the path, showing that conservation flourishes when people and nature move forward together with courage and inclusivity. To make the 30x30 target a true milestone, we must act now, aligning our efforts with the country's commitments made by the Head of State at the global biodiversity platform.