Japan’s environment ministry this week concluded the certification of 122 sites across the country as Other Effective area-based Conservation Measures (OECMs), its core policy to incentivise businesses to contribute towards the country meeting its 30 by 30 biodiversity protection targets.
The certified sites, announced earlier this month, covers 77,000 hectares of land considered to be “sites in harmony with nature”, with Asahi Group and 7-Eleven among owners of qualified land.
OECMs, areas where nature preservation is not a primary use of land but is in practice protected anyway because of the way it is being used, is eligible to count as protected under the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF).
Japan has made OECMs the main pillar of its framework to get corporations involved in nature protection, and plans to certify a second batch of sites by the end of March next year, and around 500 by 2026.
The strategy is backed by the 30 by 30 Alliance for Biodiversity, a government initiative launched last year that includes a number of business and conservation organisations.
“By certifying the value of conservation activities by companies, NGOs, etc. using uniform standards that are consistent with the international standards of OECM, the government can objectively evaluate the value, reliability, and appropriateness of conservation activities by companies and NGOs,” said meeting documents released by an expert group working under the alliance last week.
“The government will provide support to those involved in the activities by ensuring that they are properly evaluated, leading to appropriate evaluations in areas such as ESG investment.”
An OECM certification system will help illustrate the value of conservation work, according to the group, though it must be set up in a way that drives quality activities.
“The current system for certifying sites that coexist with nature focuses on location, and the key point is that at the time of certification, the area is conserving biodiversity,” it said.
“This is an effective means from the perspective of increasing the probability that areas that are already rich in biodiversity will be able to continue their activities appropriately in the future through certification.”
However, the group noted that in order to increase the number of sites being protected it is important to put in place a system that easily allows such activities to be established on land such as farmland and urban green spaces.
“For this purpose it is necessary to focus more on the activity plan when certifying. This will ultimately lead to improved quality and security of activity locations,” the group said.
The group said it wanted a system and reliability structure that can be used to respond to the disclosure requirements by investors, and that ensures certification can be achieved promptly.
Japan aims to protect 30% of its land and marine areas by 2030, as per the GBF’s overall target, compared to 20% and 13%, respectively, at current.
By Stian Reklev – stian@carbon-pulse.com
** Click here to sign up to our twice-weekly biodiversity newsletter **
