Assessment (MA) and an interim report on the Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB), recent attempts are to assess how we benefit from biodiversity and how they impact us, in case biodiversity degrades, from a global view and to link with policies.

The Ministry of the Environment made a trial calculation of the current economic value of the partial ecosystem services that coral reefs of Japan have in FY2008. According to the calculation (Table3-1-2), annual economic value of the coral reefs services were expected to be 239.9 billion yen on tourism and recreation, 10.7 billion yen on commercial marine products and 7.5 billion to 83.9 billion yen on protection from wave and erosion hazard. Although coral reefs are said to be important for conservation as a keystone species to ecosystem, recognizing that their existence will bring invaluable benefits to us are also necessary.

## (3) Japan’s approaches towards the meeting of the 10th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP10)

Convention on Biological Diversity has three purposes: the conservation of biological diversity, the sustainable use of its components and the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of the utilization of genetic resources.

Many agenda items will be discussed at COP10, such as the revision of the Strategic Plan for the Convention on Biological Diversity, including new targets for post 2010, and to finalize the international framework on Access and Benefit-Sharing (ABS), which are key agenda items. Regarding the ABS, Japan will take the reality use of international genetic resources into account, in order not to cause obstacles of the substantial use, and in order to bring the framework that will take the conservation of the biodiversity and its sustainable use into consideration. Japan will contribute to the discussion through participation in the meetings.

Japan will also establish a coral reef reserve network centralized in East Asia, in order to promote the designation of marine protected areas, which has been an international challenge towards COP10.

Regarding the revision of the Strategic Plan for the Convention on Biological Diversity, it is important that the 2010 Biodiversity Target “to achieve by 2010 a significant reduction of the current rate of biodiversity loss” will be a more measurable target – recognizable by people from all walks of life as their own target – and to link the target to the promotion of approaches. In order to achieve the target, introducing indicators such as economic assessment of ecosystem services and interrelationship between nature and human beings, which were not incorporated in the Global Biodiversity Outlook 2 (GBO2) are necessary. Japan will participate in the second phase of the TEEB study being hosted, and from this point of view will propose indicators including the sustainable management of natural resources and understandable and measurable new targets.

In addition, Japan will propose and send out a global model of sustainable management of natural resources in the secondary natural environment, formed by the mutual interrelationship between human activities and the nature, centralized in the primary industry under the name of Japan’s Satoyama as the “SATOYAMA Initiative” at COP10. Domestically, Japan will formulate voluntary guidelines, within businesses can act with biodiversity in mind, and to propose action lists to urge each nation to take biodiversity into account. Japan will support business activities to be active on considering biodiversity and to ensure higher public participation through these proposals.

## 4 3R that Secures Material Support for the Development of Human Beings

## (1) 3R Initiative

In accordance with population growth and economic development, including developing countries, concerns over increase in global demand for resources, depletion of natural resources and waste issues are expected to be more serious in the long-term. In such a situation, Japan has already taken the lead of the “3R Initiative,” and international organizations such as OECD and UNEP have activated approaches towards reducing environmental impact related to the improvement of resource productivity and resource recycling.

Japan focused on 3R at the G8 Environment Ministers Meeting in 2008 and the G8 Ministers agreed on the "Kobe 3R Action Plan." With this Action Plan, recognition was shared that 3Rs activities will contribute to uncoupling of resource consumption and environmental pollution (decoupling) in accordance with improvement of resource productivity and economic activities. On that basis, "Prioritize 3Rs and Improve Resource Productivity and Set Targets" and "Collaborate for 3Rs Capacity Development in Developing Countries" were listed as specific actions each G8 nation will approach. The Action Plan states that Japan will progress approaches based on the Action Plan and will follow up policies based on the Action Plan towards the G8 Environment Ministers Meeting in 2011.

Japan will launch the “Regional 3R Forum in Asia” in 2009 as an embodiment of the “Kobe 3R Action Plan.” Japan considers creating and developing healthy specific 3R approaches in each Asian country and to activate regional cooperation in order to realize the “Sound Material-Cycle Society” through this forum.

## (2) International approaches on analysis of material flow and improvement of resource productivity

The OECD has adopted the “OECD Council Recommendation on Resource Productivity” in March 2008. This decision was based on the gathering