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TOP STORY
UK farm almost sold out of biodiversity net gain units
An English farm has committed almost all of its biodiversity net gain (BNG) units in sales to local housing developers, Carbon Pulse has learned.
MARKET
Nature-based carbon standard launches with new reforestation methodology
A new nature-based voluntary carbon market certifier has released its standard and reforestation methodology, it announced Wednesday.
BUSINESS & FINANCE
Brazilian food giant has the biggest impact on deforestation, corporate ranking finds
A Brazilian food producer was found to have by far the most negative impact on global deforestation rates, according to a global corporate ranking released Wednesday that also awarded negative scores to several major financial institutions for their lending policies.
EY report claims nature-positive Australia could see A$47 bln in benefits
A report consultants by EY has found that Australia’s carbon market is unlikely to deliver significant nature repair under current settings, but claimed becoming a nature-positive economy could boost Australia’s national income by A$47 billion ($30.7 bln) by 2050.
Banks should support national biodiversity strategies, UNEP says
Banks should set targets supporting countries’ national biodiversity strategies, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) said in its new nature target-setting guidance, released Wednesday.
UBS, Swiss Re sign $2-mln partnership with Indonesian nature venture builder
The philanthropy arms of investment bank UBS and Swiss Re have agreed to invest over $2 million in a partnership with an Indonesia-based company that works to secure investments for scalable nature-based start-ups.
POLICY
EU lawmakers reject proposal to limit bloc’s use of pesticides
The European Parliament rejected a text for a proposal to limit EU use of pesticides on Wednesday, in a vote that divided lawmakers amid similar tensions to those seen earlier in the year for the bloc’s nature restoration bill.
EU pesticides bill reignites nature divisions among lawmakers
EU lawmakers facing a difficult time agreeing on a text to reduce the use of pesticides, with a debate in the European Parliament on Tuesday replicating some of the controversies seen earlier in the year for the bloc’s nature restoration bill.
Canadian miner welcomes US lawmakers’ push for deep seabed mining
Canadian The Mining Company (TMC) has welcomed moves by US senators and members of Congress to influence the UN seabed authority to finalise rules that would allow for minerals mining at the bottom of the ocean.
PROJECTS
WWF announces two biodiversity tech pilots
Green group WWF has announced two biodiversity technology pilot projects it is developing that aim to automate biodiversity monitoring, and predict animal-related epidemic risks.
COMMENT
ECOSYSTEM MARKETPLACE – Shades of REDD+: Harmonized Biodiversity Claims as a Solution for Fragmented Biodiversity Markets
Since the adoption of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, there’s been growing interest in market-based approaches for biodiversity conservation, but significant challenges remain in establishing a global market for biodiversity credits due to their complexity and context-specific nature. As Charlotte Streck writes, alternative solutions like national and local schemes and standardized biodiversity claims are being explored to address these challenges.
MARKET
Going big – The Philippines is planning to announce priority areas for green and blue carbon projects, and will open up as much as 100 mln ha of classified government forest land for investment during Q1 next year, according to Environment Secretary Antonia Loyzaga. As many as 100 sites will be listed during 2024, she told a conference this week. (Carbon Pulse)
BUSINESS & FINANCE
Engaging – Swiss pension funds will start to engage with large listed companies on biodiversity and nature protection from next year through the Ethos Engagement Pools Switzerland, two new themes introduced into the initiative. The Ethos Engagement Pools Switzerland, which includes 179 pension schemes, has renewed topics including climate change, governance, working conditions/respect for human rights, particularly in supply chains, and standardised environmental and social reporting, it said in a statement. (IPE)
Regen it is – A pharmaceutical and biotech giant as well as a nutrition company launched a regenerative agriculture programme to improve soil health and productivity in Brazil on the same day Brazilian President Lula da Silva was expected to announce the country’s restorative pastureland policy. Bayer and ADM’s sustainable agriculture initiative will begin replacing nitrogen and other chemicals in their fertilizers with biological alternatives, institute no-till farming, and begin to use cover soil as well as cover crops in their operations. (Carbon Pulse)
Key connection – Canadian charity Ontario Nature has acquired a 21.35-ha property and added it to its Lost Bay Nature Reserve. While small, the added spot acts as an important corridor within the biodiverse UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve’s Frontenac Arch, connecting surrounding wetland and terrestrial habitats, the group said.
POLICY
Spray’em – The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is considering approving a pesticide for use on Florida oranges and grapefruits despite the fact that agency scientists have repeatedly found the chemical does not meet safety standards designed to protect children’s health, internal agency records show. EPA emails indicate how for years, agency scientists have wanted to deny new uses of aldicarb, but appear to have not done so because of persistent pressure from chemical industry lobbyists, politicians, and political appointees. (Guardian)
Swiss cop out – Switzerland will not host biodiversity conference COP16 in autumn 2024, its government said on Wednesday. One year was too short to organise the major UN event, it said in a press release. The announcement follows Turkey pulling out as host in July following earthquakes. France, the UK, and Spain were previously reported to have been possible destinations for the conference.
SCIENCE & TECH
Rubbering the wrong way – A recently published study has used high-resolution satellite data to show that deforestation linked to rubber cultivation is much higher than previously thought. Deforestation for rubber in Southeast Asia, which produces 90% of the world’s natural rubber, was found to be “at least twofold to threefold higher” than earlier estimates. The underestimation of rubber-linked deforestation has led to gaps in policy setting and implementation when it comes to managing rubber cultivation, the study says. While synthetic rubber, made from fossil fuels, accounts for the most of the rubber produced today, rising demand for rubber overall drove the expansion of rubber plantation areas by 3.3 mln ha from 2010-20. (Mongabay)
Wrong kind of growth – The number of listed threatened species in Australia’s world heritage northern rainforests has increased by 25% since 2020, as ecologists say they are now clearly observing the long-predicted impacts of global heating. The management and conservation authority for the Unesco-listed Queensland wet tropics this week handed its latest environmental report to the state government, containing “sombre but pragmatic” warnings about the declining health of some species, including the ringtail possum, that were believed robust when the area was given international protection in 1988. (Guardian)
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