Summary of target achievement
There has been an apparent increase in the past decade in the proportion of people who have heard of biodiversity and who understand the concept. Understanding of biodiversity appears to be increasing more rapidly among younger people. A recent survey suggested that more than one third of people in the most biodiverse countries have high awareness both of the values of biodiversity and the steps required for its conservation and sustainable use. The target has not been achieved (low confidence).1
Improving public understanding of biodiversity, including awareness of its values and the steps that we can all take to conserve and use it sustainably is clearly critical to underpin progress towards the 2050 Vision for Biodiversity. Messages relating to biodiversity and its importance to people, as well as opportunities for discussion and infor-mation sharing, are available to the public in an ever-expanding variety of formats and platforms, including through television documen-taries, social media, museum exhibitions and educational curricula, as well as through direct public engagement projects taking place from neighbourhood or village level to national and inter-national campaigns (Box 1.1).
Actions commonly reported in national reports to achieve national targets related to Aichi Biodiversity Target 1 are the convening of workshops, stakeholder meetings, organizing biodiversity exhibitions, organizing field trips and site visits and other similar awareness-raising activities. Some national reports also note the inclusion of biodiversity in school curricula at the primary, secondary and tertiary levels, including information on its values and the actions
needed to conserve it. Other examples of actions taken include the use of media (such as radio, television, movies, social media platforms and print media) to raise awareness of biodiversity,
providing training on biodiversity to stakeholders, including farmers, fishers and policymakers, and the creation of biodiversity information centres. However, despite these actions, many reports note that awareness of biodiversity and its values remains low. Some of the challenges identified in reaching national targets related to Aichi Biodiversity Target 1 are the difficulties in reaching all people, including those residing in remote or distant communities, a general lack of knowledge of how to conserve biodiversity, and a lack of understanding of the links between biodiversity and other societal challenges, including the need to address climate change.
There is no globally consistent information showing trends in awareness and willingness to act on biodiversity. However the Union of Ethical BioTrade Biodiversity Barometer, using standard questions to sample the public’s understanding of the concept of biodiversity, provides information for 16 countries.2 Comparative information is available for nine of these countries, six of which show an increase in both the proportion of people who have heard of biodiversity, and in those able to give a correct definition of it. The increase is significantly higher among people aged between 16 and 24, and there is considerable variation among countries.3
Strategic Goal A: Target 1 – Awareness of biodiversity increased 37
1 2
TARGET ELEMENTS 1. Aware of biodiversity 2. Aware of steps to take
A survey conducted in 2018 in 10 biodivers-ity-rich developing countries found that on average, more than one third (38 per cent) of respondents showed a high level of awareness of biodiversity values and the steps required for conservation and sustainable use (Table 1.1). The survey uses a methodology that is similar to one developed and applied in Germany since 2009. That survey shows a slight trend upwards in the indicator of
‘willingness to act’ (and, consequently, in the overall indicator) between 2009 and 2017 while the other indicators remained stable.4
A new global indicator has been developed to measure public engagement in biodiversity based on 22 relevant keywords in 31 languages sourced from Twitter, online newspapers and Google Trends. While not yet able to measure longer-term trends over time, this indicator is already able to detect significant short-term patterns such as a close temporal association between public interest
in biodiversity and academic schedules, indicating that engagement in biodiversity is largely focussed on academic or educational contexts.5
During the COVID-19 pandemic, media coverage of the relationship between biodiversity, human health and well-being has been notable. While this suggests a raised awareness of the links between biodiversity, human health and wellbeing, messages and their potential interpretation are varied and complex, and the pandemic’s influence on the progress towards this target will only be known once the impact of the global crisis, and the longer-term changes it has caused, become clearer.
The majority of NBSAPS (87%) contain targets related to Aichi Biodiversity Target 1. Of the Parties that have assessed progress towards their national targets, half report that they are on track to reach (49%) or exceed them (1%). Most of the other half (46%) report that they have made progress towards their targets but not at
Table 1.1. Awareness of biodiversity 6
Biodiversity AwAreness indicAtors
Overall Knowledge Attitude Behavior
Brazil 18 70 56 38
China 34 42 75 84
Colombia 53 80 71 87
India 39 50 76 82
Indonesia 31 49 65 82
Kenya 40 55 67 92
Mexico 48 77 67 85
Peru 48 75 72 85
South Africa 34 54 63 80
Vietnam 37 51 80 81
Average 37 59 68 77
Figures show the % of participants meeting the criteria for each indicator
Status
RELEVANT SDG TARGETS
Target 12.8 - By 2030, ensure that people everywhere have the relevant information and awareness for sustainable development and lifestyles in harmony with nature
Target 4.7 - By 2030, ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development…
Strategic Goal A: Target 1 – Awareness of biodiversity increased 39
Nandhu Kumar / Unsplash
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
The colour bars show the percentage of Parties reporting a given level of progress towards their national targets. (Blue: exceeds target; Green: on track; Yellow: some progress; Red: no change;
Purple: moving away from target). The intensity of the colour indicates alignment of national targets with the Aichi Target (Darker colours indicate close alignment).
Assessment of progress towards national targets
a rate that will allow them to meet the target.
Few Parties (4%) report no progress. However, only about a third of the targets (32%) are equal to the scope and level of ambition set out in Aichi Target 1. Most targets appear to focus on increasing awareness of biodiversity; there are
fewer national targets that address making people aware of the actions they can take to conserve biodiversity. Of the Parties that have assessed progress, fewer than a quarter (23%) have national targets similar to Aichi Biodiversity Target 1 and are on track to meet them (see bar chart).
Box 1.1. Examples of national experiences and progress
ɠ Belize: With the support of the Wildlife Conservation Society and PCI Media Impact a radio drama series and an associated call-in show on marine protected areas and sustainable fishing were created. The purpose of the series was to increase knowledge, and change attitudes and behaviour related to responsible fishing, marine protected areas and no-take zones. A survey of listeners found that they were significantly more likely to exhibit correct knowledge and possess positive attitudes, as well as practise more sustainable fishing behaviour. Many listeners also reported learning about fisheries regulations, responsible fishing, marine protected areas and no-take zones from the series.7
ɠ Ecuador: The Ministry of Education has developed a programme to mainstream environmental education by providing children with greater and more regular access to natural spaces through outdoor classrooms. These classrooms are created in natural areas which have been protected or restored, with the objective of linking children and youth with the natural environment. The programme facilitates learning about the value and importance of having a healthy environment, and about issues relating to sustainability and agriculture. Since 2018, 6,378 educational
institutions have created such classrooms.8
ɠ Philippines: The TAWID Indigenous Knowledge Learning Festival brought together indigenous educators from schools and communities in 2019 with the aim of transferring indigenous
knowledge to the younger generation, both within and outside the formal school curriculum. This included showcasing of community-led initiatives in the Philippines including ‘Schools of Living Tradition’, heirloom recipes and indigenous health, and traditional crafts such as weaving and woodcarving.9