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This report provides a policy brief on the "Proposal to Achieve the Global Biodiversity Framework Targets in the G20 Countries by 2030," contributed by our President, Shunsuke Managi.

The policy brief on "Proposal to Achieve the G20 Framework Targets for Global Biodiversity by 2030" submitted by Shunsuke Managi, President and Representative Director of TRIENS Corporation, was adopted at T20 (Think20) 2023 India, which is positioned as the "idea bank" of the G20 and consists of experts and think tanks from G20 countries. The policy brief on "Proposal to Achieve the Global Biodiversity Framework Targets in G20 Countries by 2030" submitted by Shunsuke Managi, President and CEO of our company, was adopted.

Achieving Global Biodiversity Framework Targets in G20 Countries by 2030
https://t20ind.org/research/achieving-global-biodiversity-framework-targets-in-g20-countries-by-2030/

This is the third T20 policy brief adopted this year.

Reference: Reports on the last two T20 policy briefs

Commentary] G20 T20 India2023 Policy Brief on Comprehensive Measurement of National Wealth Growth Using the New National Wealth Indicators
https://aiesg.co.jp/topics/report/20230530_t20india_report/

[Commentary] G20T20 Policy Brief ~Proposal for a Financing Mechanism to Promote the Conservation of Natural Capital
https://aiesg.co.jp/topics/report/230807_g20t20_report/

This policy brief is positioned as Task Force 6: Accelerating SDGs-Exploring New Pathways to the 2030 Agenda.

1. loss of biodiversity
At COP15 (the 15th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity), held in Montreal, Canada from December 7 to 19, 2022, it was decided to work on the "Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF)" to halt and restore biodiversity loss by 2030. Biodiversity Framework (GBF)" to halt biodiversity loss and restore biodiversity by 2030.

The GBF is the first global framework since the Aichi Targets (COP10) adopted in 2010. The Aichi Targets are global targets consisting of 20 individual targets that form the core of the "Strategic Plan for the Conservation of Biodiversity 2011-2020". However, the achievement rate of the Aichi Targets is only 12%.[1]A drastic review of the promotion methods was strongly desired.

The draft GBF consists of 22 targets and 4 goals and aims to protect 30% of the world's land and ocean by 2030.
However, there are four major challenges to achieving the GBF goals

(1) Curb the rapid extinction of various plant and animal species, taking into account anthropogenic pressures and climate change issues.
(ii) Achieve net zero emissions within a specified period.
(iii) Address the negative impacts on biodiversity and ecosystems caused by environmental problems (e.g., sea level changes, acidification of seawater, climate change, pollution, direct exploitation of organisms, invasive alien species, etc.)
4) Protection of mangroves and other blue carbon ecosystems

Therefore, this Policy Brief proposes a framework for achieving the Goal for the Conservation of Biodiversity (GBF).


2. the role of the G20
Adequate funds must be allocated for the conservation of biodiversity.

This is why biodiversity finance is attracting so much attention. Biodiversity finance, the raising and managing of capital and the use of financial incentives to support sustainable biodiversity management, is a current topic of discussion and planning. It links biodiversity conservation practices, strategies, and policies with biodiversity financing initiatives ([2]Bhattacharya and Bhattacharya, 2019(See Section 2.1.2.).

This concept linking economics and biodiversity is expected to help in the proper assessment of biodiversity and its subsequent conservation and protection. It is estimated that US$150-440 billion per year is needed for global biodiversity conservation ([3]Arlaud et al. 2018), eliciting private sector investment for the conservation of biodiversity and ecosystem services is a major biodiversity financing challenge.

The financial valuation of biodiversity and ecosystems is crucial to elicit investment.

Measuring development progress relies heavily on internationally comparable, reliable, detailed, and timely data. This data must be based on solid indicators that can be disaggregated and derive multidimensional measures of well-being that encompass not only economic and social well-being, but also environmental and ecological sustainability.
International cooperation is essential to adopt a new measurement framework for intergenerational and inclusive well-being.
Therefore, the G20, with its influence on global policymaking both within and outside the group, is an ideal platform to give traction to the work of collecting data measuring development progress.


3. recommendations for G20 countries
This section outlines three steps that could be taken to adopt and implement GBF targets across G20 member countries.

Proposal 1: Conservation of urban biodiversity and ecosystems through local indexing mechanisms
People's Biodiversity Register (PBR) of India^{note 1}The CBI (also known as the Singapore Index) is a tool to assess the status of urban and municipal biodiversity conservation efforts and monitor them against baseline values. The CBI (also known as the Singapore Index) is a tool to evaluate and monitor the status of biodiversity conservation efforts of cities and municipalities against a set of reference values.

In fact, CBI was conducted in three smart cities in India (Pune, Faridabad, and Raipur) and found to be severely lacking in data. Despite its limitations, the CBI scores allow us to identify gaps in biodiversity conservation and related programs in these cities (Figure 1) and point to areas that need attention to improve biodiversity and ecological status (see[4]Bhattacharya, 2017(See Section 2.1.2.).

Figure 1. comparison of CBI indicators by city (Source: Bhattacharya, 2017)

Recommendation 2: Effective management policies for carbon sequestration and biodiversity protection in different ecosystems
◎Wetland Ecosystems
To ensure ecological security, it is imperative to protect and conserve wetlands and other ecosystems. Wetlands have the greatest carbon sequestration potential of the various ecosystems (Figure 2). However, if wetlands are not managed regularly or in a prescribed manner, they can become a source of carbon emissions (see[5]Biswas et al. 2018). Therefore, wise use and integrated management of wetlands and regular monitoring are critical for wetlands, which can increase carbon sequestration rates many times over.

Figure 2. wetlands have the greatest CO2 sequestration potential among other ecosystems
(Source:[6]Hendriks et al. 2020)

[Main Action Point.
Wetland assessments in the state will be conducted using GPS technology and the Wetland Health Card.
● Reporting of emissions cessation, recovery, and net emissions on a regular basis for inclusion in the state's emissions inventory
Conduct regular awareness programs for stakeholders
Maintain ecological parameters, including a combination of ecosystem components, processes, and benefits/services provided by the wetland

◎Blue Carbon Ecosystem
Coastal blue carbon ecosystems play an important role in atmospheric CO2 sequestration and have the potential to contribute significantly to achieving the net zero goal and mitigating climate change (see[7]Taillardat et al. 2018). Blue carbon refers to carbon taken up by vegetated coastal habitats and stored by living marine organisms ([8]Nellemann et al. 2009). Mangroves, salt marshes, and seagrass beds are called blue carbon because of their high carbon stocks and long-term carbon storage capacity ([9]Akhand et al. 2022(See Section 2.1.2.). 

India has a coastline over 7,500 km long and is rich in three blue carbon ecosystems ([10]Kathiresan, 2018; [11]Jayanthi et al. 2018; [12]Thangaradjou and Bhatt, 2018(Table 1). Table 1 shows the commercial value of blue carbon ecosystems in India ([13]Pendleton et al. 2012; [9]Akhand et al. 2022(USD). The carbon stored in India's mangroves is between US$469 million and US$542.7 million. According to statistics, the value of India's blue carbon sequestration is roughly equivalent to the smallest amount of carbon lost each year in the world.

Protecting and enhancing blue carbon ecosystems is a policy priority for G20 governments.

Table 1. values of blue carbon ecosystems in India and their average
(Source: Akhand et al., 2022)

[Main Action Point.
● Urgent quantification of ecosystem services provided by mangroves
Employ a variety of ecosystem service valuation methods to accurately calculate the commercial value of blue carbon, including IPBES methods, natural capital accounting, investment modeling, cost-benefit analysis, and transfer cost methods.
● The Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs (InVEST) model can be used to quantify carbon sequestration, sediment retention and export, and nutrient export ([14]Kadaverugu et al, 2022; [15]Dasgupta, 2021; [16]Hashimoto et al, 2019(See Section 2.1.2.).
● Increased use of remote sensing and GIS-based surveying for ecosystem monitoring, integrated management, and resource conservation is critical for mangrove conservation (see[16]Hashimoto et al, 2019)
● To reduce the impact of coastal disasters such as storm surges and cyclones, coastal conservation and development measures are needed, along with efforts to halt soil erosion.
Scenario analysis used to improve decision-making processes and develop effective conservation policies for blue carbon ecosystems ([16]Hashimoto et al, 2019)

Proposal 3: Innovative financing for biodiversity conservation through the Green Credit Mechanism: Green Credit Mechanism
When a certain number of ecological units are used for development for economic projects such as resort development or factory construction, those ecological units are lost. If it is difficult for the developer to restore the ecosystem, he must purchase credits from the market or from the bank. When the ecosystem in question is a wetland, river, or other aquatic resource, this type of scheme is called mitigation banking. Historically, mitigation banking schemes began in the 1980s.

Today, such conservation banking schemes are increasingly being introduced in countries such as the United States, Australia, France, and Germany. Now is the time for all G20 countries to introduce green credit mechanisms for conservation financing ([17]Higashida et al. 2019) 

[Major Action Point.
Raising sufficient financial resources for conservation purposes can be achieved through innovative mechanisms, such as linking the Green Credit Mechanism to national plans and the use of CSR funds.
● Mixed financial planning is needed to ensure a combination of public and private funding accumulation for conservation efforts

It explains the importance of conserving wetlands and blue carbon in order to preserve ecosystems and biodiversity, and suggests necessary financial systems.
Please read on.

1People's Biodiversity Register (PBR)
A legal document containing comprehensive information on available biological resources (plants, animals, microorganisms, genetic materials, etc.) in a particular area or village under the control of Biodiversity Management Committees (BMC), which collect information on biological resources at the local government level. PBRs are prepared by BMCs in consultation with local communities.

Bibliography
[1] Ministry of the Environment: Global Biodiversity Overview 5th Edition (GBO5),. https://www.biodic.go.jp/biodiversity/about/aichi_targets/index_05.html

[2]Bhattacharya, Tania and Anindya Bhattacharya. "Financing biodiversity action plan using state appropriation account analysis: A case study of an Indian state." Ecosystem Services 39 (2019): 100971.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212041618303024

[3]Arlaud, Marco et al. "The biodiversity finance initiative: an approach to identify and implement biodiversity-centered finance solutions for sustainable development." Towards a Sustainable Bioeconomy: Principles, Challenges, and Perspectives (2018): 77-98.
https://www.springerprofessional.de/en/the-biodiversity-finance-initiative-an-approach-to-identify-and-/15402718

[4]Bhattacharya, T.R. "Comparative assessment of ecosystem and biodiversity conservation measures in Indian smart cities: a city biodiversity index approach." Int J Sustain Futur Hum Secur 5, no. 2 (2017): 18.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/321664446_Comparative_Assessment_of_Ecosystem_and_Biodiversity_Conservation_Measures_in_Indian_Smart_Cities_A_City_Biodiversity_Index_Approach

[5]Biswas, Protusha, Tania Bhattacharya, Abhra Chanda, Sourav Das and Sugata Hazra. "Urban wetlands-CO2 sink or source? case study on the aquaculture ponds of East Kolkata wetlands." Int J Recent Sci Res 9 (2018): 24158-24165.
https://recentscientific.com/urban-wetlands-%E2%80%93-co2-sink-or-source-case-study-aquaculture-ponds-east-kolkata-wetlands

[6]Hendriks, Kees, Susan Gubbay, Eric Arets and John Janssen. "Carbon stocks and sequestration in terrestrial and marine ecosystems: a lever for nature restoration?",(2020).
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/360219317_Carbon_stocks_and_sequestration_in_terrestrial_and_marine_ecosystems_a_lever_for_nature_restoration_A_quick_scan_for_terrestrial_and_marine_EUNIS_habitat_types

[7]Taillardat, Pierre, Daniel A. Friess and Massimo Lupascu. "Mangrove blue carbon strategies for climate change mitigation are most effective nationally." Biology Letters 14, no. 10 (2018): 20180251.
https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsbl.2018.0251

[8]Nellemann, Christian and Emily Corcoran, eds. "Blue carbon: the role of healthy oceans in binding carbon: a rapid response assessment.." UNEP/Earthprint, 2009.
https://wedocs.unep.org/handle/20.500.11822/7772;jsessionid=6F4072662344967C94290ADB966E51D8

[9]Akhand, Anirban, Abhra Chanda, Yusuf Jameel, and Rajarshi Dasgupta. "The present state-of-the-art of blue carbon repository in India : a meta-analysis." Sustainability Science (2022): 1031-1042.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11625-022-01181-4

[10]Kathiresan, K. "Mangrove forests of India." Current Science (2018): 976-981.
https://www.i-scholar.in/index.php/CURS/article/view/169210

[11]Jayanthi, M., S. Thirumurthy, G. Nagaraj, M. Muralidhar, and P. Ravichandran. "Spatial and temporal changes in mangrove cover across Spatial and temporal changes in mangrove cover across the protected and unprotected forests of India." Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 213 (2018): 81-91.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0272771418302968

[12]Thangaradjou, T. and J.R. Bhatt. "Status of seagrass ecosystems in India." Ocean & Coastal Management 159 (2018): 7-15.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0964569117305021

[13]Pendleton, Linwood et al. "Estimating global 'blue carbon' emissions from conversion and degradation of vegetated coastal ecosystems." PLoS ONE 7(9): e43542.
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0043542

[14]Kadaverugu, Rakesh et al. "Scenario-based quantification of land-use changes and its impacts on ecosystem services: a case of Bhitarkanika mangrove area, Odisha, India." Journal of Coastal Conservation 26, no. 4 (2022): 30.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11852-022-00877-0

[15]Dasgupta, Partha. "The Economics of Biodiversity: The Dasgupta Review. Abridged Version." 2021.
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/957292/Dasgupta_Review_-_Abridged_Version.pdf

[16]Hashimoto, Shizuka et al. "Scenario analysis of land-use and ecosystem services of social-ecological landscapes: implications of Scenario analysis of land-use and ecosystem services of social-ecological landscapes: implications of alternative development pathways under declining population in the Noto Peninsula, Japan." Sustainability Science 14 (2019): 53-75.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11625-018-0626-6

[17]Higashida, Keisaku, Kenta Tanaka and Shunsuke Managi. "The efficiency of conservation banking schemes with inter-regionally The efficiency of conservation banking schemes with inter-regionally tradable credits and the role of mediators." Economic Analysis and Policy 62 (2019): 175-186.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0313592618300766

[Introductory Bibliography
Bhattacharya , T. R., Managi, S., & Dasgupta, R. (2023, July). 
Policy Briefs T20 for the Presidency of the G20 in 2023, The G20 Insights Platform, Global Solutions Initiative Foundation,Achieving Global Biodiversity Framework Targets in G20 Countries by 2030.
https://t20ind.org/research/achieving-global-biodiversity-framework-targets-in-g20-countries-by-2030/

Related page
T20 Indonesia
https://www.t20indonesia.org/

Commentary] G20 T20 India2023 Policy Brief on Comprehensive Measurement of National Wealth Growth Using the New National Wealth Indicators
https://aiesg.co.jp/topics/report/20230530_t20india_report/

[Commentary] G20T20 Policy Brief ~Proposal for a Financing Mechanism to Promote the Conservation of Natural Capital
https://aiesg.co.jp/topics/report/230807_g20t20_report/