Awareness of Biodiversity Increases, Though Visibility of COP10 Still Low

Nord Institute for Society and Environment, a Japanese consulting firm specializing in socio-environmental policy, released on August 20, 2009, the results of an online survey conducted nationwide targeting 2,000 ordinary citizens (men and women ages 20 and older) in order to assess their awareness of biodiversity as well as their perceptions about corporate efforts towards biodiversity protection.

The results indicated that the awareness of biodiversity is slowly increasing. About 70 percent of the respondents were aware of biodiversity: thirty-five percent knew what biodiversity entails and another 35 percent had heard of the word "biodiversity." "Non-native species/invasive foreign species" and "genetically modified organisms," the terms for biodiversity subject areas, were recognized by 76 percent and 75 percent of the respondents, respectively.

However, their awareness about the Convention on Biological Diversity (commonly known as the Biodiversity Convention) was low. Only 10 percent knew that the 10th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention of Biological Diversity (COP10), to be held in 2010, will take place in Nagoya, Japan. Meanwhile, when asked whether they enjoyed the gifts of biodiversity, 80 percent of the respondents said that they enjoy great outdoors, the natural environment in their immediate surroundings, images and food related to nature, and so on.

In terms of corporate efforts aimed at biodiversity protection, the survey suggested that while the respondents were likely to recognize forest protection and tree planting activities, many expected corporations to make biodiversity contributions basically through their own core business operations.

COP 10 Aichi-Nagoya official website
http://cop10.jp/aichi-nagoya/english/cop/cop.html
NORDO Institute for Society and Environment official website
http://www.nord-ise.com/english/

Posted: 2009/11/09 06:00:15 AM