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TOP STORY

FEATURE: Nature takes ‘centre stage’ – what COP28 means for biodiversity

With nature-related announcements and outcomes firmly in the spotlight at COP28, stakeholders have taken stock of the outcome from the Dubai conference and what it means for the global biodiversity crisis.

MARKET

Marine biodiversity credits framework launched by non-profit

A methodology that aims to enable governments to generate marine biodiversity credits from protected areas has been launched by California-headquartered non-profit OpenEarth.

African projects earn accelerator status, eye biodiversity credits

The first African biodiversity accelerator has picked two initial winners, both forestry projects in the process of exploring options in the biodiversity credit market.

BUSINESS & FINANCE

MSCI: Nature investments to attract billions in 2024 following metrics progress

Improvements in metrics are likely to entice billions of dollars in nature investments across biodiversity, carbon, and water over 2024, an executive at MSCI has said.

TOOLS & GUIDANCE

MRV Collective relaunched as Nature Tech Collective

Measurement, reporting, and verification initiative MRV Collective has been relaunched as non-profit Nature Tech Collective to underline its change in focus towards nature technology.

COMMENTS

COMMENT: Westpac says no to deforestation – others will soon have to

All Australian banks and investors will soon need to make zero-deforestation commitments because it is increasingly well known that Australia is a deforestation hotspot, and this is attracting the scrutiny of legislators, consumers, and investors, the Wilderness Society writes.

POLICY

Deforesting – The government of Suriname is weighing a series of land deals that would allow the Ministry of Agriculture and a group of private entities to carry out agriculture, livestock, and aquaculture activities on hundreds of thousands of hectares of land, most of it Amazon Rainforest. The Amazon covers 93% of Suriname’s total land area, making agricultural development an especially sensitive issue in the country. Five private entities are involved in the deals, with an interest in commodities like soy and cashews. (Mongabay)

Easy tiger – The government of Bhutan and the Tiger Conservation Coalition held a side event at COP28 that delved into the connections between tiger conservation and the global climate and biodiversity agendas. The status of tigers is tied to the health of Asian forests’ carbon, water, and other resources, WWF Mediterranean Marine Initiative said. “Safeguarding tiger landscapes through sustainable financing will bring multiple benefits to the people and wildlife in these last remaining intact forests across Asia,” WWF Tigers Alive Initiative said.

Japanese donation – Japan has committed 650 mln yen ($5 mln) to the Global Biodiversity Fund, as part of its package to promote investments for global actions toward the achievement of the Paris Agreement goals. Other activities included an ecosystem-based disaster risk reductions process. Japan joins Canada, Germany, and the UK as the first four donors to the GBF Fund, launched in August. The fund will have its first governing body meeting in February 2024, according to manager the Global Environment Facility.

Scottish plastic – The Scottish Parliament’s net zero committee has heard concerns about its biodiversity strategy from charity Fidra, according to The Fishing Daily. The plan failed to include references to the impact of chemical or plastic pollution, it said. Fidra stressed the urgency of addressing such pollution through regulation of food, fertilisers, and medicines.

EU ecosystem rules – The EU Parliament and Council have agreed on new rules obliging firms to integrate human rights and environmental impacts into their management systems. The directive on corporate sustainability due diligence sets obligations for companies to mitigate their related negative impacts through issues including pollution, deforestation, water consumption, and damage to ecosystems. (Carbon Pulse)

SCIENCE & TECH

Very fishy – An estimated 1,200 tonnes of sardines and mackerel were found floating on the surface of the sea off the fishing port of Hakodate in Japan, forming a silver sheet over a kilometre long, The Guardian reported. Officials have been struggling to understand why the fish washed ashore, with officials to sample seawater to try to determine the answer. Experts speculated a sudden drop in water temperature may have caused the fish to go into shock.

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