Press Release

April 08, 2022
  • Nature & Parks

Japan Establishes a 30by30 Roadmap and Launches the 30by30 Alliance for Biodiversity

1. Japan has established its 30by30 Roadmap that outlines necessary actions to domestically achieve the
30by30 target, including certification of conserved areas to be identified as OECMs*.

*OECMs (Other Effective area-based Conservation Measures): a geographically defined area other than a Protected Area, which is governed and managed in ways that achieve positive and sustained long-term outcomes for the in situ conservation of biodiversity, with associated ecosystem functions and services and where applicable, cultural, spiritual, socio-economic, and other locally relevant values (UNEP/CBD/COP/DEC/14/8).

2. In order to promote concrete actions laid out by the roadmap, Japan has launched the 30by30 Alliance for Biodiversity. This alliance is a multi-stakeholder platform including businesses, local governments and NGOs. The platform members aim to strengthen their area-based activities and disseminate leading examples contributing to the 30by30 target.

3. Since OECMs are the key to achieving the 30by30 target, the Ministry of the Environment (MOE), Japan, will start a trial scheme for a certification mechanism in cooperation with the members of the alliance. Its full operation will be the next step.

4. We will share our efforts with the world towards the second part of the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP15) to the Convention of Biological Diversity (CBD) to be held this year.

30by30 Roadmap

The 30by30 target, which aims to conserve or protect 30% of land and sea areas by 2030, is one of the proposed targets in the first draft of the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework. The framework is expected to be adopted at the second part of COP15, to be held this year.

In advance of the second part of COP15, the G7 countries have committed to conserve or protect at least 30% of their national lands, including terrestrial and inland waters, and coastal and marine areas by 2030 according to national circumstances and approaches at the G7 Summit held last June (the G7 2030 Nature Compact).

Responding to the Compact, MOE Japan announced last August the "basic concept" to domestically achieve the 30by30 target. MOE Japan also announced that it will establish a roadmap that illustrates concrete measures for achieving the 30by30 target. We are pleased to announce that the 30by30 Roadmap has been established under the name of the liaison conference among relevant ministries and agencies on National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAP).

This roadmap outlines necessary actions to meet the 30by30 target, including the expansion of protected areas and improving its management quality, certification and management of OECMs, development of an interactive mapping that visualizes important areas for biodiversity conservation, and the effects of conservation activities within each area. The roadmap highlights the importance of cross-sectional efforts to support and promote these measures. One of them is the 30by30 Alliance for Biodiversity.

We will disseminate this roadmap ahead of the second part of COP15 to contribute to the preparation of the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework. To define this roadmap more explicitly as a national policy, we will incorporate it into the next NBSAP to be developed this year (to be decided by the Cabinet).

OECMs: Trial scheme to certify conserved areas

Identifying OECMs as the key measures for achieving the 30by30 target, this roadmap contains policies related to OECMs. In this fiscal year, MOE Japan will implement a trial scheme to certify conserved areas to be identified as OECMs. We aim to start full operation of the scheme in the next fiscal year. The trial scheme will be carried out in cooperation with the members of the alliance (see next section).

30by30 Alliance for Biodiversity

On April 8th, the 30by30 Alliance for Biodiversity, which aims to effectively promote the measures embodied in the roadmap, was launched as a multi-stakeholder platform. The alliance comprises 17 proposers (organizers) from industries, the private sector, and governments, including MOE Japan. As of April 8th, a total of 116 organizations from various sectors (such as companies, local governments and NPOs) have joined the alliance, and the number is growing.

https://policies.env.go.jp/nature/biodiversity/30by30alliance/

The alliance members will cooperate to fulfill the 30by30 target.

Members who own their lands will pursue

- Certifying their lands as OECMs.

- Expanding protected areas within their lands

■ Members who do not own their lands will support

- The management of OECMs.

■ Local government members will

- Incorporate their contributions to the 30by30 target in their strategies for biodiversity.

■ All participants will

- Share and disseminate their good practices through the alliance website.

https://policies.env.go.jp/nature/biodiversity/30by30alliance/

We will invite new members and continue to make a concerted, nationwide effort to achieve the 30by30 target.

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