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TOP STORY
The pain of net gain: UK government delays mandatory biodiversity mechanism into new year
Market actors have expressed major concerns about the UK’s nature market direction, as biodiversity rules for the planning and development sector have been delayed by the UK government with no fixed date for its implementation.
MARKET
UK-France biodiversity credit panel’s 21 members revealed
The 21 members of a UK-France government-initiated panel aiming to galvanise international biodiversity credit markets have been announced.
Irish peatland standard to include biodiversity credits before 2026, non-profit says
An emerging Republic of Ireland peatland standard aims to address biodiversity credits before the end of 2025, a sustainable finance non-profit has said.
BUSINESS & FINANCE
Global food and beverage initiative unveils regenerative agriculture framework
An initiative backed by 170 food and beverage companies and farmer cooperatives worldwide on Wednesday committed to a new framework for regenerative agricultural practices that they said will improve soil health, support biodiversity, and mitigate and adapt to the impacts of climate change.
Project accelerator launches to drive investments in African biodiversity
A group of five companies and organisations has launched an accelerator to attract investment in high-quality biodiversity projects across Africa, with a first call for proposals open until late next month.
IDB launches nature, climate financing mechanism
The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) has become the first multilateral development bank to pilot a financing tool that rewards countries for achieving nature and climate goals, it announced Wednesday.
UK group rates construction supply chain materials as ‘low’ biodiversity impact
Four major global materials in the supply chain of construction firms have relatively low biodiversity impacts, though the built environment overall still rely on ecologically destructive processes, a UK industry-led members network said Thursday.
TOOLS & GUIDANCE
New approach needed for high-integrity marine natural capital markets, says report
A group of environmental finance organisations have set out a vision for high-integrity marine natural capital markets for the UK in a new consultative report, which they hope will help close an estimated funding gap close to £50 billion for marine ecosystems.
BUSINESS & FINANCE
Standing up – In California, the Resighini Tribe of Yurok People, Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation, and Cher-Ae Heights Indian Community of the Trinidad Rancheria each took action to protect nearly 700 square miles of their ancestral ocean and coastal territories, and waters to advance long-term tribal stewardship and governance, as well as tribal and state co-management of critical ecosystems to protect and support cultural lifeways and economies, while directly addressing climate impacts. The Yurok-Tolowa-Dee-ni’ IMSA stretches from the Oregon and California border to just south of Trinidad in Humboldt County – about 290 miles north of San Francisco – and will directly help the state of California to achieve its biodiversity and durable conservation goals by 2030. (Native News Online)
Reconnect – The Asian Development Bank earlier this month approved a $303 mln loan to reduce flood and climate risks and protect people and livelihoods in three major river basins in the Philippines, one of the most vulnerable countries to the effects of climate change and disasters caused by natural hazards. The Integrated Flood Resilience and Adaptation Project – Phase 1 will upgrade and construct flood protection infrastructure in the Abra river basin in the country’s northern Luzon region and the Ranao/Agus and Tagum–Libuganon river basins in the southern Mindanao region. The infrastructure takes into account future climate change impacts and incorporates nature-based solutions such as restoring and reconnecting old river channels for natural drainage and reinforcing riverbanks with mangroves and vegetation planting.
POLICY
New rules, please – A report released this week by Australian non-profit the Climate Council found that under the nation’s current environmental legislation, 740 fossil fuel projects have been approved by regulators. That means the law is failing to shield Australia’s unique wildlife and iconic natural places from the catastrophic impacts of climate change, the report said. “We can’t protect nature without addressing climate change – the two are intrinsically linked,” said Chief Councilor Professor Tim Flannery.
Flying through – The US Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works on Wednesday passed the Strengthening Coastal Communities Act of 2023. The bill, proposed by Delaware Democrat Tom Carper and South Carolina Republican Lindsay Graham, is an update on a 40-year old law that non-profit National Audobon Society (NAS) says will extend the benefits of the act to more areas along the coast and identify areas where marshes and beaches can naturally migrate inland as sea levels rise. “Without this, we risk losing many of our wetlands, our birds, and the buffers that protect our local communities,” said NAS coastal conservation policy manager Portia Mastin.
SCIENCE & TECH
BioBlitz – The National Trust for Scotland team at St Abb’s Head is celebrating a record-breaking number of different species recorded at the National Nature Reserve. 53 citizen scientists joined the organisation’s rangers throughout August to conduct land-based surveys to record 326 species in a single day, up from 298 in 2018. The total number of species recorded at the reserve is 349 following two dives at two sites near the Scottish harbour.
In a state – One in six species in the UK are at risk of extinction, according to a report produced by more than 60 organisations spanning conservation groups, government, and academics. The “State of Nature” report said that within a 2,890 “priority group” of species, 58% fell in number and 19% increased. The BBC reported that while some targeted conservation efforts had worked well, such as banning trawl fishing in marine protected areas, academics and others are calling for much more investment in nature, particularly for wildlife-friendly farming and fishing.
Protect and save – Vertebrate biodiversity loss can be slowed up to five times by protecting land, according to a new study released by the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. The research captured data for more than 1,000 species, which showed some amphibians and birds are the biggest beneficiaries of protected areas, the authors suspect this is due to the threats of habitat loss and disease disproportionately falling on these species classes. With further analysis, the authors highlighted that protected areas require a stable and effective government, which they see as having as powerful an impact on vertebrate populations as living in protected areas.
Publicly propelled – Sixty-two mln out of 125 mln species records added to the Atlas of Living Australia (ALA) have been added by citizen scientists, according to data released by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO). The science body said that more than 9 mln species occurrence records were added in 2022 alone, but that for some species the majority of data records have been provided by members of the public. The ALA data are free and openly accessible to provide utility to research, conservation, and biosecurity activities. All data from ALA also feeds into the Global Biodiversity Information Facility.
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