Feature

The next global targets for biodiversity are now under consideration. The current Aichi Targets were decided upon at CBD-COP10 held in Japan in 2010. Japan is contributing in various ways to the determination of the next targets, which will take place at COP15 to be held in China in 2021.

1 The Aichi Targets and Status of Achievement

At the tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD-COP10) held in Japan in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, in October 2010, global biodiversity targets were agreed upon. These targets, which were intended as a global framework for all sections of society, are officially a part of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020. This plan consists of the 2050 Biodiversity Vision, aimed at "Living in Harmony with Nature," the Mission to "take effective and urgent action to halt the loss of biodiversity" by 2020, and the Aichi Targets, which indicate concrete actions for each of the 20 targets. The Aichi Targets include a variety of goals, including conservation goals to designate 17% of terrestrial areas and 10% of marine areas as protected areas, goals for the sustainable use of biodiversity, and goals for the scientific infrastructure and funding needed for biodiversity. The fifth edition of the Global Biodiversity Outlook (GBO5) released by the CBD Secretariat in September 2020, judged that while considerable progress has been made, none of the targets have been fully achieved. As to reasons for this failure to achieve the targets, the report points out that national targets set by each country were "generally poorly aligned with the Aichi Biodiversity Targets, in terms of scope and the level of ambition."

2 Global Status of Biodiversity

The Global Assessment Report released in May 2019 by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) identified direct and indirect drivers of change in nature, shown in the box below. It then pointed out that while targets for nature conservation and sustainable use cannot be achieved at the current rate, these goals can be achieved through cross-cutting social change (transformative change) in our economies, societies, politics, science and technology.

In addition, the Global Risks Report 2020, released in January of 2020, ranks "biodiversity loss" as the fourth most likely risk and the third most impacting risk. Among ecosystem services, the report points out impacts on economic activities due to the decline in supply of services, the destabilization of society due to the decline in regulating and supporting services, and the loss of various future potential benefits that humans receive from biodiversity.

Further, the aforementioned GBO5 states that we need to break away from "business as usual" and enact transformative changes, and that we must respond in a coordinated manner rather than individually. It points out the possibility of realizing a net gain in biodiversity after 2030 by halting biodiversity decline and shifting to increasing it. It also indicates eight transition areas to achieve the 2050 Vision, focusing on agriculture, forestry, and fisheries, including climate change response and the One Health approach.

Drivers of change in nature

3 Status of Deliberations on a Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework

Biodiversity Framework An Asia-Pacific regional workshop held in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, Japan, in January 2019 got the ball rolling on deliberations on a post-2020 global biodiversity framework. Subsequently, meetings in each region, meetings on specialized topics such as protected areas and ecosystem restoration, and meetings of subsidiary bodies to discuss the post-2020 framework progressed smoothly up to February 2020. However, the deliberation process has been significantly delayed due to the impact of COVID-19, and COP15, which was scheduled for October 2020 in Kunming, China, was postponed to 2021. Meetings of subsidiary bodies have also been postponed or held online. Within deliberations on a post-2020 global biodiversity framework, discussions are underway on enhancing consideration of biodiversity in socioeconomic activities, based on the idea that actions taken in the field of nature conservation alone will not solve problems of biodiversity loss, as pointed out in the IPBES report and GBO5. For example, deliberations include perspectives on reducing burdens on biodiversity in supply chains and promoting sustainable consumption activities. Efforts are also underway to set quantitative targets and to advance discussions on more effective assessment and reporting of each signatory country's state of implementation towards achieving the post-2020 framework.

Global targets set for biodiversity have to date included the 2010 Biodiversity Target and the Aichi Targets, but in both cases we have failed to achieve our targets. In light of this situation, the setting of both ambitious, realistic and effective targets is required.

4 Japan's Contribution

As previously mentioned, the deliberation process on a post-2020 global biodiversity framework began with an Asia-Pacific regional meeting held in Nagoya in January 2019. In September of the same year, an expert workshop was held in Kumamoto, Kumamoto Prefecture, aimed at contributing to the post-2020 framework based on the experiences of the Satoyama Initiative. Likewise, Japan has actively contributed to the deliberation process by providing financial support for the preparation of GBO5.

Japan has also contributed to discussions by voicing constructive opinions to ensure that the ambition level of the new targets does not regress from the Aichi Targets, and that they are easy to understand so that a larger diversity of actors can participate in the implementation of the new framework, considering that it must include socioeconomic elements. In addition, discussions are being held with the Japan Business Federation on how Japanese companies can contribute to achieving the new framework through their technologies. Japan intends to continue to make contributions to ensure that the new framework can create a virtuous cycle between biodiversity and the economy.