Have you ever heard of the “Aichi Biodiversity Targets”? This refers to global objectives consisting of 20 global targets which are designed to conserve and sustainable use of biodiversity globally by the Year 2020. They were proposed at the Global Life Meeting (CBD-COP10) held in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture in Japan in 2010 and were adopted by 193 nations and regions in consensus. 

Reading the “Aichi Biodiversity Targets” may give one the impression that the subject is extremely complex.　With the aim of developing “A world, living in harmony with nature by 2050”, an effort was made to streamline to only 20 action plans, action plans demanded of various types of institutions, groups and individuals (such as the United Nations, international institutes, governments, cities and towns, scientists, NPOs, people engaged in agriculture or fishing, etc.) to be undertaken at global, national and regional levels by the Year 2020, in the process becoming what is known as the “Aichi Targets”.

The “Nijyu-Maru Project(Double 20 campaign)” was initiated in 2011 by the Japan Committee for International Union for Conservation of Nature (or IUCN-J. Administratively led by The Nature Conservation Society of Japan) to facilitate the achievement of the Aichi Targets. In Japan, the symbol “maru” (or circle) connotes the meaning of “good” or “done”. The project goal is to assign a “maru” to each of the 20 objectives by 2020. In the “Nijyu-Maru Project”, it was conceptualized that a “nijyu-maru” (or a double concentric circle), an evaluation mark meaning “Excellent!” or “Well done!” should be given to those people who are working intensively in their own regions to maintain biodiversity for a better world in the future. Such is the story of how the Project came to be named.

Any group can be member of the Project by performing the following three steps: 1) Understand the Aichi Targets, 2) Develop an awareness of how these objectives can be connected to the group’s activities, and 3) Declare actions that can contribute to sustaining biodiversity. 84 groups have so far participated in the Project and have declared 136 actions, as of the end of April 2013. Declarations made have not been limited to only civic groups, but rather involve a wide variety of institutions, such as local government, enterprises, museums, research institutes, etc. All of the groups are listed at the “Nijyu-Maru Project” website together with their declared actions. If you are interested in participating in the Project or are already working on some kind of action plan, the list can help you get an idea of the people, places, types of activities and objectives that are already in action.

The activities of the Nijyu-Maru members have been introduced in international conferences and exhibitions as an illustration of Japan’s efforts to achieve the Aichi Targets. In addition, collaborative activities by groups of different administrative organizations or local community bodies can apply for the certification as a collaborative project recommended by the United Nations Decade of Biodiversity Japan Committee .

Please take a look at our website or exhibition of the project activities so you can see how your activities link with the global objectives. In the next step, declare your biodiversity action and earn a “nijyu-maru◎” mark.

The Nijyu-Maru Project Website:

Exhibition of the Project Activities: “The Nijyu-Maru Project – Twenty Promises to Save the World and Our Lives” is now showing (May 8^th to June 27^th) at the Marunouchi Sayezuri-Kan.

Teppei Douke  (Coordinator, Conservation Research Division, Nature Conservation Society of Japan (NACS-J), Secretariat of Japan Committee for International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN))