To conserve the natural environment, which is the foundations of human existence, JICA provides cooperation on nature conservation in the following three areas, with the aim of facilitating harmony between the conservation of the natural environment and human activities, while contributing particularly toward attaining SDGs 13, 14 and 15.
Position Paper
1. Climate Change Measures through Sustainable Forestry Management and Ecosystems Conservation
Forests provide timber, they also have the function of retaining and providing stable supplies of water, conserving the fertility of soil while absorbing and accumulating greenhouse gas (GHG), i.e. CO2 and mitigating natural disasters such as floods and landslides. In recent years, forest conservation has been particularly emphasized globally as a measure on climate change.
JICA has been working on the initiative called REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation and the role of conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks in developing countries).
In 2014, JICA established the Japan Public-Private Platform for REDD+ to promote industry-government-academia collaboration in this field.
2. Sustainable Use of Natural Resources to Improve Livelihoods of Vulnerable Communities
In developing countries, most people rely on local natural resources in daily life. However, there are many cases where the foundation for local livelihoods has been exploited by excessive usage that destroys the function of nature to reproduce itself. Moreover, sometimes friction occurs between residents and public administrators over the usage and management of resources. JICA has launched the African Initiative for Combating. Desertification to Strengthen Resilience to Climate Change for coping with mounting development challenges in the Sahel and the Horn of Africa, and is promoting activities for sustainable utilization of natural resources in surrounding communities and improvement of livelihoods while working cooperatively with partner countries, international organizations, and NGOs
3. Conservation of Biodiversity through Management of Protected Areas and Buffer Zones
In protected areas and surrounding buffer zones, JICA is providing various forms of support for the conservation of biodiversity to promote the harmonious coexistence of nature and humans: management and formulating of plans, implementation of surveys and monitoring, capacity building of persons concerned, introduction of ecotourism, and environmental education.
Japan Public-Private Platform for REDD+
JICA in cooperation with Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute established a platform to facilitate REDD+ activities through public-private partnership in Japan.
Japan Public-Private Platform for REDD+, as the name states, comprises of wide ranges of actors in public and private sectors. This platform aims to facilitate REDD+ activities that aim to contribute to addressing climate change, conservation of biodiversity, sustainable development, and poverty reduction by conserving forest in developing countries.
In a common view of ‘Changing the world from forest', all members of the platform agree with the proposed ‘Immediate Action program' immediately from November 2014 until 2020.
- JAPAN PUBLIC-PRIVATE PLATFORM FOR REDD+
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