A bottom-up approach for making a strategic plan for biodiversity – Tokushima Biodiversity Conference

Overview

COP10 pre-events were held in Tokushima in February, 2010, and energetic discussions took place regarding the preservation of biodiversity. Even as formulation of strategies regarding biodiversity is moving forward in each prefecture, Tokushima prefecture had felt that strategy formulation needed to be a bottom-up approach which reflected citizens’ views, and the Tokushima Biodiversity Conference was inaugurated with that in mind. In June 2010 with 18 environmental protection organizations and 5 experts as members. Tokushima Prefecture Natural Environment Division, also participated as an observer in the conference. Deliberations took place during 10 workshops, and participating groups considered and shared issues in common, combining the wisdom of the participants looking at solutions. Based on this, a booklet was printed about appropriate styles of regional strategy formulation, regarding what goals, etc., to aim for. In June, 2011, the booklet and its proposals were handed to the prefectural governor. Then, in order to inculcate many prefectural citizens’ views into strategy formulation, town meetings were held in each area, through the Tokushima Biodiversity Conference and Tokushima Prefecture’s cooperative action (“co-action”). Afterward, Tokushima Prefecture inaugurated the ”Tokushima Biodiversity Strategy Formulation Liaison Conference”, a general assembly on regional strategy formulation, with the Tokushima Biodiversity Conference becoming a participant as a citizens’ representative. A specialists’ committee, a prefectural office operations committee, and a town meeting operations committee were subsequently established as subsidiary organizations of the prefecture’s environmental council. In this way, private- and public-sector strengths are combined as strategy formulation moves forward. Town meetings are held in 3 regions, with 3 themes (as a city/Sato committee, a mountain recesses/Satoyama committee, and a river/sea/brackish-water regions committee). 500 people in total participate, with 5000 opinions offered – which are to be utilized in future strategy formulation.

Points about the partnership

The NPO was originally founded as a network of citizen groups. Prompted by COP10, people who until then had been involved in citizen movements demonstrated a 
growing mood to help express the views of all prefectural citizens. They first developed partnerships with specialists. Then, after the above-mentioned proposals, the prefecture became more active in thinking about solutions together with citizens, and this helped strengthen links between the partners. From “citizen – citizen” and “citizen – academic” forms of collaboration, the process developed into cooperative action (“co-action”) between “citizens”, “academics” and “bureaucracy”.

Category

Based on efforts at ‘co-action’ (cooperative action) by diverse actors

Theme 

Biodiversity

Actors 

Tokushima Biodiversity Conference

Partners 

Shikoku Biodiversity (CBD) Network