TOKYO, Aug. 3 -- Ministry of the Environment issued the following news:

Registration of "Nationally Certified Sustainably Managed Natural Sites" and Protected Areas on International Databases 1. The Ministry of the Environment of Japan launched a certification scheme in FY2023 for "Nationally Certified Sustainably Managed Natural Sites" as part of its efforts to promote OECMs in Japan. The scheme certifies areas where biodiversity conservation is achieved through private sector and other initiatives. As of the end of June 2026, 610 sites had been certified.

OECMs: Other Effective area-based Conservation Measures



2. This time, the areas of 10,000 hectares, which do not overlap with protected areas out of the "Nationally Certified Sustainably Managed Natural Sites" certified in FY2025, are registered on the World Database on Protected and Conserved Areas (WDPCA). Together with previously registered OECMs, a total of 64,600 hectares has been registered.

At the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD-COP15), held in 2022, the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework was adopted as the global framework for biodiversity. One of its global targets for 2030 is the so-called "30by30 target," which aims to effectively conserve at least 30% of terrestrial and inland water areas, and of marine and coastal areas, as healthy ecosystems by 2030.



In 2023, Japan formulated the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan 2023-2030, based on the global targets. The Strategy sets the realization of "2030 Nature Positive," namely halting and reversing biodiversity loss by 2030, as a short-term target, and positions the 30by30 target as one of Japan's national targets for achieving it.



The 30by30 target is to be achieved by including OECMs in addition to protected areas. The Ministry of the Environment of Japan launched a certification scheme in FY2023 for "Nationally Certified Sustainably Managed Natural Sites" as part of its efforts to promote OECMs in Japan. The scheme certifies areas where biodiversity conservation is achieved through private sector and other initiatives. Subsequently, in FY2025, the Act on Promoting Activities to Enhance Regional Biodiversity, which legislated the Nationally Certified Sustainably Managed Natural Sites scheme, came into effect under the joint jurisdiction of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. Among the certified areas, those that do not overlap with protected areas are to be registered on the international database as OECMs.



This time, the areas of 10,000 hectares, which do not overlap with protected areas out of 23,100 hectares certified as the "Nationally Certified Sustainably Managed Natural Sites" in FY2025, are registered on the World Database on Protected and Conserved Areas (WDPCA). Together with previously registered OECMs, a total of 64,600 hectares has been registered. At the same time, the boundaries of protected areas were updated in the World Database. With this latest registration, the combined proportion of Japan's protected areas and OECMs stands at 21.0% of terrestrial and inland water areas and 13.3% for marine and coastal areas. Due to rounding, the total proportion appears unchanged from the previous fiscal year.

Please refer to the following website for further information:

Japan's 30by30 roadmap

https://policies.env.go.jp/nature/biodiversity/30by30alliance/documents/3030emap.pdf

Japan's OECM and related policy

https://www.env.go.jp/nature/biodiversity/OECM.html

Contact Office for Local Nature-positive Transition, Biodiversity Policy Division, Nature Conservation Bureau, Ministry of the Environment of Japan

Direct number +81-(0)3-5521-8343

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