Lead P.I.’s Message

This research project (S-21) was launched as a successor project to S-15 “Predicting and Assessing Natural Capital and Ecosystem Services through an Integrated Social-Ecological Systems Approach” (PANCES) (P. I.: Kazuhiko Takeuchi), which was implemented over a five-year period from FY2016 to FY2020. S-15 consisted of four themes and a total of 15 sub-themes by focusing on both a nationwide scale study and case study sites (Noto/Sado, Akkeshi-cho, Okinawa), producing many novel and useful research results. In this sense, S-21 aims to further develop and enhance the research results obtained with S-15.

Prior to the conceptualizing this research project, the Ministry of the Environment prepared a document which describes their policy needs for “Research on the Development of Assessment Methods for Biodiversity and Socio-Economic Challenges in an Integrated Approach” in August 2021. According to this policy needs document clearly addressed that “Quantitative assessment of biodiversity loss in S-9 and static assessment and scenario analysis of ecosystem services in S-15 were conducted, but a dynamic assessment method that integrates other socio-economic issues and change processes, including climate change, has not been constructed, and new research and development that develops these has been necessary.” These needs include some basic requirements for the new project, such as the spatiotemporal scale of future scenario analysis and the integrated assessment of socio-economic activities as indirect drivers, and biodiversity and ecosystem services.

Based on this document, five S-21 theme leaders (Osamu Saito, Hiroya Yamano, Kazue Fukamachi, Shizuka Hashimoto, and Takehito Yoshida) applied for the FY2021 Strategic R&D (FS) of the Environmental Research and Development Fund, and worked on launching a full-scale project with a one-year preparation period from April 2022. During this FS period, there were several opportunities to exchange opinions with the expert committee established by the Ministry of the Environment, and based on various advices from the committee, the full-fledged research plan was materialized. After application form screening and interviews, S-21 project, consisting of five themes for a total of 20 sub-themes, was officially adopted in March 2023. As of August 2023, there are approximately 140 researchers (excluding students) registered in S-21.

During the FS period, the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), which was adopted at the 15th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity in December 2022, and based on the GBF, Japan’s National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan 2023 (NBSAP 2023) was approved by the Cabinet on March 31, 2023. The NBSAP 2023 clearly states that “Nature Positive” should be realized by 2030. However, there are many challenges in realizing nature positive society and applying the 23 targets of GBF at the national and local levels, as well as in the private sector. Through the research in S-21, we would like to contribute to the review of future national and local biodiversity strategies and action plans and to nature-related financial disclosures (TNFD) by the private sector. In addition, we would like to actively disseminate research outputs to society throughout the research period, and at the same time, implement research in an interactive style that is open and flexible to new research needs of various stakeholders as well as governments.