Japan is one of the world’s largest importers of natural resources. Our lives are, in other words, supported by biodiversity in many other countries. It is, therefore, necessary for us to proceed with a series of efforts to efficiently utilize domestic resources and, at the international level, to cooperate in conservation of biodiversity. In this regard, business is also required to participate more actively in promoting efforts to conserve and use biodiversity sustainably.
A National Strategy Japan ratified the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in 1993, the year after the Convention was adopted. The CBD requires Parties to develop national strategies, plans or programmes for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, or to adapt existing plans or programmes for this purpose. In response to this, Japan launched its first National Strategy for the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Biodiversity in 1995.
Substantial changes in socio-economic conditions encouraged us to significantly revise it and, in 2002, we published the second National Strategy for the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Biodiversity in Japan.
Five years after the publication of this second Strategy, several new laws, including the Promotion of Nature Restoration Act and the Invasive Alien Species Act have been adopted. At the global level, comprehensive evaluations, such as the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment and the second edition of the Global Biodiversity Outlook, clearly outline the current biodiversity crisis. Along with such global trends, we must consider domestic factors, such as population decrease, in revising the national biodiversity strategy.
We are now in the process of developing the third Strategy. We expect this to be more pragmatic, following the overall and systematic revision we made for the current strategy.
The second National Strategy synthesized the difficulties faced by Japan into three ‘crises’. The first is the impact of human-induced pressures on living organisms and ecosystems. Such pressures include industrial and agricultural development and overuse of natural resources, which have endangered a huge number of Japanese endemic species and resulted in terrible loss and degradation of ecosystems, such as bogs and tidal wetlands.
The second crisis relates to the scaling down of human activities or changes in human lifestyle in certain areas, as exemplified by the degradation of Satochi and Satoyama (rural landscapes which have traditionally been maintained through sustainable use of natural resources). Satoyama was used economically for timber extraction, compost production from dead leaves and so forth but, as values of such products decreased over time, the whole area, including the secondary forests, grasslands, and Satochi — a mosaic of paddy fields, farmlands, ponds, villages and so on — was left untouched, without appropriate management. Accordingly, the whole ecosystem now suffers degradation and many endemic species have been lost.
The third crisis is caused by the introduction of non-endemic organisms. The introduction of living species from overseas and/or other areas in the country, accompanied by increases of trans-border flow of persons and goods, is causing various impacts, such as the loss of endemic species by predation, disturbance of ecosystems through cross breeds and so forth.
Engaging business In order to address these crises, the Strategy outlined three ‘Basic Directions’ designed to establish a society in “Harmonious Coexistence with Nature” and, based on this, seven ‘Major Themes’.
While only a short description was given, in our second Strategy, on the engagement of the business community, we strongly feel that we need to strengthen this theme in our third Strategy through, for example, encouraging Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities, sustainable supply chains which have less impact on biodiversity.
After the establishment of the second National Strategy, various efforts by business were initiated within the framework of CSR. Examples include the drafting of Ecosystem Conservation Guidelines by Kajima Corp., a construction company; the Conservation of the Borneo Elephant project by detergent maker Saraya Co. Limited; and the distribution of Marine Stewardship Council certified products by the ION Group, a retailer.
We have also conducted an annual review of the implementation of the current strategy since its publication. In its first and second review, the Central Environment Council pointed out that “engagement of local government, business community and citizen’s group should be reviewed more closely”. As a result, the fourth review of the Strategy is placing a strong emphasis on efforts made by business as well as other related sectors. In March 2007, All Nippon Airways and Kajima Corp, for example, reported on conservation efforts at the Central Environment Council Natural Parks and Wildlife Joint Committee.
In response to such international and domestic expectations for the engagement of business community, we will be considering the following options in reviewing the next National Strategy:
(1) The promotion of international cooperation and effective utilization of domestic resources as one of the world’s largest importers of natural resources;
(2) The design and publication of business guidelines for biodiversity conservation;
(3) The strengthening of educational campaigns as well as raising the awareness of consumers on the importance of biodiversity.
International milestones Along with the development of the third National Strategy for the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Biodiversity, Japan is hosting the G8 Meeting in 2008 and has offered to host the tenth Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP-10) in 2010. We are well aware that the year 2010 will be a significant milestone in terms of conservation of biodiversity, as it is the year of the 2010 Target and also the United Nation’s International Year of Biodiversity.
We are confident that a new and strengthened Strategy for the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Biodiversity will help us in our efforts to contribute more to the conservation of domestic nature conservation, as well as to better respond to international requirements for cooperation.
Satoru Tomioka is Director-General, Nature Conservation Bureau,
Ministry of the Environment, Japan.
