Global Youth Biodiversity Network (GYBN) - Japan
Proposals on the First Draft of the Post-2020 GlobalBiodiversity Framework
March 3, 2022
*For any inquiries, kindly contact Kotoko Yadomaru(kotoko.y.cond@gmail.com) and Mizuho
Shibasaki(shibasaki.m.cond@gmail.com)

A．Introduction
GYBN Japan is the Japan chapter of the Global Youth Biodiversity Network (GYBN), which serves
as the international coordination platform for youth participation in the Convention on BiologicalDiversity (CBD). We consist of two Japanese youth-led organizations, Change Our Next Decade(COND) and Japan Youth Biodiversity Network(JYBN).
In this document created by Change Our Next Decade (COND), we summarized the priorities ofJapanese youth for the conservation of biodiversity and achieving living in harmony with nature by
2050. This document was based on advocating to sub-committee on National Biodiversity Strategy,
Central Environmental Council (2nd meeting) on 17th December 2021. In addition, we present ourkey proposals for a strong post-2020 global biodiversity framework (GBF).

B．Japanese Youth Priorities
1. Emphasizing intergenerational equity and ensuring the participation of youngpeople in decision-making● Intergenerational equity perspectives must be incorporated into policy formulation.
● Target all policies/ institutions/ actions to address the "common but different responsibilities of allgenerations" and to avoid and minimize potential negative impact.
● Strategies to ensure that respect and protection of the right to a safe, clean, and sustainable
environment for the present generation will be equally enjoyed by future generations.
● The project will also work to establish institutions and mechanisms that position young people asimportant stakeholders and enable them to participate equitably in important policy decisions.
Sustainable development is defined as "development that meets the needs of the present withoutcompromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” However, due to climate

change and loss of biodiversity, it is unlikely that future generations will enjoy the same rights andlivelihoods as the present generation if things continue as they are today. Therefore, in addition toincorporating an intergenerational equity perspective into policymaking, it is necessary to position
youth as important stakeholders and ensure their further participation in decision-making so that therights of future generations are guaranteed.

2. Emphasizing marine ecosystem conservation● Strengthen the accumulation of basic knowledge to understand the current status of marine
ecosystems and conduct appropriate conservation.
● Prohibit the installation of offshore wind turbines and economic activities involving deep-sea
mining without consideration for marine ecosystems.
● Review and revise the Marine Biodiversity Conservation Strategy of Japan in line with thedevelopment of the next National Biodiversity Strategy.
● Establishment of protected areas for the purpose of ecosystem conservation and review of marine
protected areas and management practices in a shorter period of time than is currently the case.
Among the diverse ecosystems, we call for a particular emphasis on marine ecosystemconservation. Marine ecosystems have been severely degraded, but there are challenges, such as thelack of adequate research compared to terrestrial ecosystems. Furthermore, the targets for marine
protected areas set in Aichi Biodiversity Target 11 and SDG 14.5 have achieved the expansion ofmarine protected areas. However, the rapid climate change in recent years has caused significantchanges in the state of the ocean in a short period of time, requiring a flexible response in response tochanges in the marine environment.

3. Implementation of conservation with an awareness of ecosystem connection● Establishment of protected areas that ensure ecosystem connectivity.
● Promote conservation policies based on a landscape approach to balance indigenous people andlocal communities' use of nature with ecosystem conservation.
● Strengthening climate change countermeasures through the promotion of ecosystem conservation,including forest ecosystems and blue carbon ecosystems.
● Establishment of an implementation system to ensure achievement of 30 by 30.
More ambitious protected area expansion targets are being considered in the post-2020 GBF
framework, but in order to achieve healthy ecosystem recovery, a wide range of conservation isrequired, including areas surrounding protected areas. We appreciate the fact that ambitious targets arebeing created to expand protected areas, but it is necessary to build a subsequent system to ensure thatthe targets are achieved based on the reflection of the previous Aichi Biodiversity Targets.

C．Specific Proposals on the First Draft of Post-2020 GBF
This section outlines our proposals for textual changes to selected targets of the Post-2020 GBF
1st-draft, followed by a brief reason for the suggested changes.
Note: Proposed additions are presented in bold, and deletions are presented in bold andstrikethrough.

Target 12. Increase Ensure the area of, access to, and benefits from high quality green and blue spaces,
for human physical, mental, and social health and well-being in urban areas and other densely populatedareas.

●Reason： Since there are various types of human health, such as physical, mental, and social, it isconsidered necessary to ensure high quality green and blue spaces according to the type of health. Inaddition, it is important not only for the space to exist but also for the quality of the space to be richin biodiversity.

Target 15. All businesses (public and private, large, medium and small) assess and report on theirdependencies and impacts on biodiversity, from local to global, and progressively reduce negative impacts,
by at least half and increase positive impacts, reducing biodiversity related risks to businesses and moving
towards the full sustainability of extraction deep sea mining, and production practices, sourcing andsupply chains, and use and disposal.

●Reason： In recent years, the development of deep sea resources has attracted attention, but there
are many things about deep sea ecosystems that are not yet clearly explained, and it is necessary toconsider the impacts and risks to marine ecosystems associated with development based oncomprehensive research and other methods. Therefore, "deep sea mining" should be included in thistarget.

Target 19. Increase financial resources from all sources to at least US$ 200 billion per year, including
new, additional and effective financial resources, increasing by at least US$ 10 billion per year
international financial flows to developing countries, indigenous peoples and local communities,
women and youth, leveraging private finance, and increasing domestic resource mobilization, taking into
account national biodiversity finance planning, and strengthen capacity-building and technology transfer
and scientific cooperation, to meet the needs for implementation, commensurate with the ambition of thegoals and targets of the framework.

●Reason： In order to achieve the post-2020 GBF, it is important to empower not only developing
countries but also local communities, including indigenous communities, and stakeholders such as
women and youth. However, financial support for them is still small. It should mention that thefinancial support to protect biodiversity should be distributed equitably to all stakeholders who needit.

Target 21. Ensure equitable and effective participation in decision-making related to biodiversity byindigenous peoples and local communities, and respect their rights over lands, territories and resources,as well as by women and girls, and children and youth.

●Reason： We believe that this target is a very important target for achieving the post-2020 GBF.
To strengthen this target, there is a need to add the word "children" that are not included in the conceptof "youth".