# 5. Conservation of Biodiversity and Its Sustainable Use

## (1) The Current State of Biodiversity

The “Global Biodiversity Outlook 3 (GBO3),” published by the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity, concluded that the 2010 Biodiversity Target has not been met at the global level. None of the twenty-one subsidiary-targets accompanying the overall target for significantly reducing the rate of biodiversity loss by 2010 can be said to have been definitively achieved globally, although some have been partially or locally achieved. The “Japan Biodiversity Outlook,” published by Ministry of the Environment in May 2010, assessed Japan’s state of achievement of 15 of the 21 sub-targets set in order to achieve the 2010 Target. The assessment found that only 2 of those sub-targets had been achieved, while 10 sub-targets were not sufficiently achieved, and the remaining 3 were not achieved in any way. Based on this, it concluded that Japan’s state of biodiversity is improving in some areas, but its overall trend of loss of biodiversity has not stopped.

## (2) Efforts to Make Biodiversity Permeate Society (Making Biodiversity Mainstream)

The government has released the “List of Actions by Citizens for Biodiversity,” which would give citizens ideas for individual biodiversity actions, through a wide variety of opportunities. The “Life on Earth Supporters’ Club,” which is a public relations organization started by celebrities, carried the message of the importance of biodiversity. In March 2010, the Japanese female singer MISIA was appointed “Honorary Ambassador for the Tenth Meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP10) to the United Nations Convention on Biodiversity,” and the government provided support for her activities.

The United Nations declared May 22 every year to be the “International Day for Biological Diversity,” and the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity is calling for a “Green Wave” that will connect a wave of trees planted from Earth’s East to West. The Ministry of the Environment, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism encouraged extensive participation in activities for the “Green Wave 2010,” and approximately 1,600 groups and 111,000 people participated throughout Japan.

2010 was the year that the United Nations designated the “International Year of Biodiversity,” and the United Nations encouraged the establishment of national organizations consisting of a variety of parties and the holding of commemorative events. For that reason, in January 2010 the government established the “Japanese Committee for the International Year of Biodiversity” and held commemorative events such as the kick-off event.

In order to assist local governments in Japan and other countries to exchange information about biodiversity efforts and facilitate the promotion of their future activities, Aichi Prefecture and the City of Nagoya co-hosted the “Nagoya Biodiversity City Summit” during the period of COP10, and the summit’s results were reported to the ministerial-level meeting at COP10.

The government provided assistance for the “Private Sector Engagement Initiative on Biodiversity,” which was established as a voluntary program mainly in the economic sector to promote private-sector participation in the implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity, particularly in such areas as conservation of biodiversity and its sustainable use.

As a COP10-related conference, the government held the “International Youth Conference on Biodiversity in Aichi 2010” with the aim of providing opportunities for the world’s young people to meet each other and increase their awareness of biodiversity. 100 young people from 66 countries around the world participated in the Conference, and its results were announced at COP10.

In December 2010, the “Act on the Promotion of Conservation for Biodiversity Activities through the Cooperation among Regional Diversified Actors (Biodiversity Conservation Activity Promotion Law)” was enacted. This law is under joint jurisdiction of the Ministry of the Environment, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. The purpose of the law is to promote activities for biodiversity through collaboration by a variety of parties such as municipalities, NPOs, local residents, and corporations. In January 2011, the government started the examination for fundamental policies based on the Law, and a review session was held to examine promotion activities for biodiversity conservation and opinion exchanges at nine sites across Japan (Sapporo, Sendai, Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka, Okayama, Takamatsu, Kumamoto, and Naha).

## (3) Efforts for Rebuilding Relationships between People and Nature on the Earth

Five species of insects (Cybister lewisianus, Cybister rugosus, Dytiscus sharpi, Neolucanus saundersii donan Mizunuma, and Melitaea scotosia) were added to the list of national endangered species of wild fauna and flora prescribed in the Act on Conservation of Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Law No. 75 of 1992; hereinafter referred to as the "Species Conservation Law"), and there are now 87 species of national endangered wild fauna and flora, consisting of 5 species of mammals, 38 species of birds, 1 species of reptiles, 1 species of amphibians, 4 species of brackish and freshwater fish, 15 species of insects, and 23 species of plants. In November 2010, the Program for the Rehabilitation of Natural Habitats and Maintenance of Viable Population of Pteropus pselaphon was newly formulated, and the program is now being carried out for a total of 48 species.

As for the case of the Japanese crested ibis, in March 2010, a number of Japanese crested ibis were attacked by a marten and killed at an acclimation training facility at the Sado Japanese Crested Ibis Conservation Center.