and fishing methods. There are certification systems such as the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) and Marine Eco-Label Japan (MEL Japan) as systems to have third-party organizations certify sustainable fishing industries that do not deplete fishing resources. Sales of products with the MSC label are expanding rapidly, and as of February 2011 there were more than 8,500 of such items and approximately 250 of such items are distributed in Japan (Figure 3-4-10: Number of MSC-Labeled Products).

The individual targets of the Aichi Targets indicate the importance of sustainable fishing of marine product resources and forestry and agriculture. In addition, activities by corporations and other businesses are supported by citizens' consumption, and in that sense choices by consumers have a significant ability to influence business activities. It is possible for us to cause business activities to change in a better direction through our individual selection of products and services that

take biodiversity and sustainability into consideration. In order to do so, it is necessary to have an interest in biodiversity and make efforts to gain knowledge required for choosing products.

## Summary ~ Life in Harmony, into the Future ~

Prior to the holding of COP10, the Global Biodiversity Outlook 3 (GBO3) made public by the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity concluded that the 2010 Target for the Convention on Biological Diversity, which aimed at “a significant reduction of the current rate of biodiversity loss” had not been achieved, and it warned humans that if biodiversity loss continues as it has so far the Earth’s system would in the near future surpass its tipping point and the risk of dramatic biodiversity loss and the deterioration of ecosystem services would increase.

As for the “Aichi Biodiversity Targets,” although each of the countries agreed on the point of “taking effective and urgent action to halt the loss of biodiversity,” there was a conflict of opinion between the EU, which strongly argued for inclusion of the phrase “stop loss of biodiversity by 2020,” and developing countries, which are considering future economic development and value feasibility, and this was a major point of contention. As for the “Nagoya Protocol,” there were major opinion gaps between developing countries and developed countries on many points of contention such as retroactive application of the protocol, handling protein and oxygen that arise from genetic resources, and a mechanism by which user countries would check whether users of genetic resources are using the genetic resources according to the rules of

COP10 was an opportunity to discuss what humans should do in the current situation of degrading biodiversity so that the tipping point will not be crossed and dramatic biodiversity loss will be avoided. The slogan “Life in Harmony, into the Future” was decided upon to express coexistence of all living beings, including humans, into the future, and with more than 13,000 participants from parties to the convention, related international organizations and NGOs, the “Aichi Biodiversity Targets,” which are new world targets for the Convention on Biological Diversity (post-2010 targets) and the “Nagoya Protocol,” which is an international framework related to access and benefit sharing of genetic resources (ABS), were among the many decisions adopted before the conference closed.

the countries that provided the genetic resources. As of October 28th, when only one day of the conference remained, agreement had not been reached on most of the points of contention. However, because parties to the convention did not insist on their own countries' interests and instead made compromises for the sake of "global benefits" in order to stop the biodiversity loss that is now on the verge of its tipping point, on the last day it was possible to adopt things such as the "Aichi Biodiversity Targets" and the "Nagoya Protocol" on many topics.

From now until COP11, which will be held in India in 2012, Japan as the Presidency must take the lead in efforts for various matters decided, such as the "Aichi Biodiversity Targets" and the "Nagoya Protocol." As international contributions, Japan will begin things such as creation and operation of the Japan Biodiversity Fund to assist developing countries, promotion of the "Satoyama Initiative" to promote sustainable use of secondary natural environments, and support for establishing the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). As for domestic measures, Japan will begin revision of its national biodiversity strategy, and work to improve measures and policies by promoting expansion of national parks and other protected areas and measures and policies for conserving endangered species.

The Aichi Biodiversity Targets also require efforts by each of the main constituents, such as corporations, businesses, local and regional governments, and NGOs, and efforts by society as a whole are essential. At the United Nations General Assembly held in December 2010, it was decided to designate the ten-year period from 2011 to 2020 as the “United Nations Decade on Biodiversity,” and from now on it will be necessary for international society to cooperate in moving forward with efforts aimed at conserving biodiversity. However, efforts by each of the domestic main constituents will also become increasingly important. It is necessary for each of the main constituents and individuals to steadily turn the “action plan that we can take now to stop biodiversity loss” into actions.