At the ongoing 15th Conference of the Parties (COP15) of the Convention on Biological Diversity in Montreal, the Japan Ministry of Environment, the Keidanren Committee on Nature Conservation, UNDP, and other partners have announced the launch of the fourth phase of the Community Development and Knowledge Management for the Satoyama Initiative with funding to total an expected one billion Japanese yen in six years.

The Satoyama Initiative was introduced at the CBD COP10 in Nagoya, Japan, as a global effort to contribute and achieve the vision of “societies in harmony with nature,” through integrated approaches for biodiversity conservation and sustainable development in socio-ecological production landscapes and seascapes around the world.

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As the flagship programme of the Satoyama Initiative, Community Development and Knowledge Management started in 2011 to promote sustainable use of biodiversity and natural resources with local communities.

Between 2011 and 2018, the phases one and two of the programme supported over 200 related community-based projects in 20 countries. Since 2019, the phase three focused on the institutionalisation and sustainable financing of landscape and seascape conservation activities to ensure long-term sustainability of the initiatives.

In addition to implementing projects and capacity development activities at the local level, the programme also actively shares best practices and lessons at the global level on landscape and seascape approaches.

During the past decade, with total funding of $10.5 million from Japan through the CBD’s Japan Biodiversity Fund, the Community Development and Knowledge Management (COMDEKS) programme has been implemented by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in partnership with the CBD Secretariat and United Nations University — Institute of Advanced Studies of Sustainability.

Grants are being delivered through the Global Environment Facility Small Grants Programme in the participating countries, providing a locally appropriate and community driven mechanism to reach civil society and communities.

“COMDEKS Phase 4 is the culmination of decade of partnership on the Satoyama Initiative, and we are committed to further supporting the sustainable use of biodiversity in developing countries for the implementation of the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, and also contribute to the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration and Sustainable Development Goals,” says Akihiro Nishimura, Minister of Environment, in Japan.

The COMDEKS-4 will support relevant community-based initiatives and upscale the work in about 20 developing countries from 2023 to 2028.

“Guided by the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, UNDP will continue to work closely with the Ministry of the Environment of Japan, Keidanren, and other partners to shift both thinking and doing as we co-invest in a greener, more inclusive, and more sustainable future for all,” says Achim Steiner, Administrator of UNDP.