Japan’s Circular Economy Vision Under the Action Plan | Chapter 12Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Use

The basic policy is to advance biodiversity conservation and sustainable use as an integrated effort through participation by diverse stakeholders, regional strategies, corporate activities, nature experiences, land management, industrial activities, international cooperation, and the development of data infrastructure.

In the corporate sector, information disclosure, nature finance, regional development, and international rule-making are being advanced based on the 2024 Nature Positive Economic Transition Strategy and the roadmap of July 2025.

Regarding the 30by30 target, approximately 20.8% of land and approximately 13.3% of oceans were designated as protected areas as of August 2025.

The framework connects protected areas, OECMs, nature restoration, urban green spaces, rural areas, and marine areas to advance conservation, restoration, and use across the entire national territory.

Companies will have broader opportunities to incorporate biodiversity considerations into management and consumption through disclosure of nature-related information, guidelines on investment, lending, and procurement, valuation methods, and information dissemination concerning product and service choices.

Local governments will receive technical support for developing regional strategies, evaluating urban development, and preparing plans for disaster prevention and risk reduction using nature. Institutional efforts will advance the certification of Nature Symbiosis Sites and the registration in the international OECM database of certified areas that meet the requirements.

In local communities, efforts will link regional revitalization with conservation through the conservation and appropriate use of national parks, hot springs, ecotourism, satoyama landscapes, agriculture, forestry and fisheries, and World Natural Heritage sites.

Policy management will combine protected-area designation and management, species conservation, wildlife damage measures, invasive species regulation, and public access to natural environment data, emphasizing continuous evaluation and improvement based on scientific knowledge and monitoring.

Promote partnerships through J-GBF and include goals, indicators, and specific measures suited to local conditions in regional biodiversity strategies. For companies, implement business matching, international outreach through the G7, guideline development, trials of valuation methods, and promotion of nature-positive consumption.

Engagement with nature includes children's nature experiences, nationwide events, nature park guides and park volunteers, national gardens, and environmental education in urban parks and coastal areas. In national parks, implement visitor facilities, multilingual interpretation, facility redevelopment, tours, human resource development, user fees, corporate partnerships, and promotion, while also addressing overtourism. The advanced model project will be implemented in Towada-Hachimantai, Chubu-Sangaku, Daisen-Oki, and Yanbaru.

For ecological networks, arrange core areas, buffer zones, and corridors to conserve and restore forests, rural landscapes, rivers, and oceans as a continuous spatial system. Advance regulation, designation, facility development, management, and monitoring for nature conservation areas, nature parks, wildlife protection areas, habitat protection areas, natural monuments, protected forests and green corridors, protection forests, wetlands, and World Natural Heritage sites.

Under the Nature Restoration Promotion Act, advance long-term projects involving diverse stakeholders in rivers, wetlands, tidal flats, seaweed beds, satoyama landscapes, and forests. Also implement urban park development, dissemination of considerations for basic green plans, and use of urban biodiversity indicators.

For OECMs, advance certification of Nature Symbiosis Sites under the Regional Biodiversity Enhancement Act and register in the international OECM database those certified areas where activities maintaining rich biodiversity are conducted and that do not overlap with existing protected areas. Corporate green spaces, satoyama landscapes, urban green spaces, seaweed beds and tidal flats, forests, rivers, ports, and marine areas will be considered. Support will be provided to make private recovery and creation activities self-sustaining and scalable, and a biodiversity visualization system will be operated.

For the 30by30 target, advance the expansion of national and quasi-national parks and conduct an interim evaluation of the roadmap in fiscal year 2026. In marine areas, approximately 17% of additional conservation is required, and the area of marine park districts in national parks is targeted to double by 2030.

For endangered species, apply designation as nationally rare wild fauna and flora species, habitat protection areas, conservation breeding, in situ and ex situ conservation, reintroduction into the wild, genetic resource preservation, and distribution management. Proceed with publication of the Fifth Red List; a review panel established in October 2025 is scheduled to compile a report on the Species Conservation Act around summer 2026.

For wildlife damage measures, strengthen capture efforts toward the target of reducing Japanese deer and wild boar by half versus fiscal year 2011 by fiscal year 2028. For bears, based on the package of November 2025 and the roadmap of March 2026, support municipalities with equipment, specialized personnel, capture technicians, population estimates, and habitat management. For invasive species, advance the new designation of 5 fish species, demonstrations involving fire ant detection dogs, guidance for companies, and list revisions.

For sustainable food systems, promote reductions in greenhouse gases, chemical fertilizers, and chemical pesticides based on the Midori Food System Strategy and related laws. In subsidy programs and other measures of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, fully implement the Midori Check from fiscal year 2027, requiring reduced environmental burdens, and consider establishing a new direct environmental payment grant in fiscal year 2027.

Internationally, support the GBF, Japan Biodiversity Fund, GBF Fund, IPBES, the SATOYAMA Initiative, the Asia Protected Areas Partnership, and frameworks for forests, desertification, coral reefs, and migratory birds. In April 2026, the Cabinet approved a bill to amend the Antarctic Environmental Protection Act, and preparations are under way to hold ATCM48 in Hiroshima in May of the same year. For the natural environment data, continue surveys and develop a nationwide satellite vegetation map over 5 years.