Messages from our Peers
Minister’s Secretariat
Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries
Government of Japan
As the foundation for agriculture, forestry, fisheries, and all other industries, the rich biodiversity of our planet provides us with tremendous benefits. But biodiversity is facing an unprecedented crisis due to human activities that disregard its importance.
In order to curb the loss of biodiversity and, moreover, reverse its loss so that human society can continue, social change through the actions and collaboration of all people and sectors is indispensable.
Under such circumstances, greater importance than ever is placed on the roles of the agriculture, forestry, fisheries, and food industries, with expectations held that they will promptly build a sustainable food system that achieves sustainable production and procurement.
I believe this will be quite impossible to realize unless all sectors, not just the agriculture, forestry, fisheries, and food industries, work together and take actions in a strategic manner.
In preparation for Fifteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP15) to the Convention on Biological Diversity, which is scheduled to be held this year, discussions are proceeding on the post-2020 global biodiversity framework.
If agreement is reached on the framework, it will most certainly function as the international standard to achieve social change associated with biodiversity.
As international rule-making involving all sectors becomes more active to achieve biodiversity-related social change, those rules must, with the support of sufficient discussion and innovation, induce change.
To that end, I hold high expectations on the dynamic actions and collaboration of JBIB members who are working for the conservation of biodiversity and sustainable use of biological resources.