Recognition of OECMs offers a significant opportunity to identify and report de facto effective long-term conservation that is taking place outside the currently designated protected areas under a range of governance and management regimes, implemented by a diverse set of actors, including local communities, the private sector, government agencies and shared governance arrangements. Furthermore, OECMs have the potential to contribute to ecologically representative and well-connected conservation systems, integrated within wider landscapes and seascapes, and in doing so, generate a range of positive conservation outcomes. Presently, more than 25 potential OECMs have been identified, of which 15+ have been reported to the UNEP-WCMC database on OECMs.