Presenting Biodiversity Pulse, Carbon Pulse’s free newsletter on the biodiversity market. It’s a twice-weekly summary of our news plus bite-sized updates from around the world. Subscribe here

All articles in this edition are free to read (no subscription required).

TOP STORIES

FEATURE: Fish farming marine destruction claims highlight challenge in meeting GBF targets

Environmentalists are increasingly sounding the alarm over what they claim are destructive impacts of the global fish farming industry, but government hesitance in imposing stricter regulations is seen as an illustration of the challenge ahead in meeting biodiversity targets.

Australian Repair Market to launch in January with a single method, official says

Australia will release the first Nature Repair Market methodology in January, a government official said Wednesday, officially kicking off the world’s first government-regulated voluntary biodiversity credit market.

MARKET

RePlanet announces partnership to create blockchain biodiversity credits marketplace

A blockchain marketplace for enabling transparent sales of biodiversity credits is almost ready to begin selling, following a partnership between credit developer RePlanet with a certification organisation and a blockchain company, Carbon Pulse has learned.

Rhino bond has lessons for biodiversity credits, expert says

The nascent biodiversity credits market can learn from the work of the World Bank’s rhino bond, said an expert, whose organisation worked on the issuance.

UN-backed alliance seeks to settle on a definition of biodiversity credits

The UN-backed Biodiversity Credit Alliance (BCA) on Wednesday released a paper seeking to give a definition of biodiversity credits and associated terms, in an attempt to avoid the market making a false start.

BUSINESS & FINANCE

Pollinator biodiversity around solar farms to be assessed by AI and acoustic monitoring

An upcoming study will look at the impact of solar farms on nature by deploying artificial intelligence (AI) technology alongside acoustic monitoring to assess pollinator levels.

First five corporate nature positive strategies approved by campaign group

Campaign group Business for Nature has accepted its first batch of strategies targeting a nature positive economy by 2030 from corporations based in the UK, France, and Taiwan, six months after launch.

TOOLS & GUIDANCE

NatureMetrics launches free business performance scoring tool

Biodiversity monitoring company NatureMetrics has launched a free tool for businesses to score their nature performance by answering a series of questions.

POLICY

Indian market regulator opens for use of controversial green credits to earn ESG “leadership” status

India’s securities and commodities market regulator has proposed changes to the country’s Business Responsibility and Sustainability Reporting (BRSR) framework, opening for companies to earn “leadership” status by listing green credits they or their value chain partners have generated through tree-planting and other environmentally beneficial activities.

Countries have duty to protect the oceans from climate change impact, international maritime court says

The International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) has declared that signatory states of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) have an obligation to protect the ocean from the impacts of climate change, with small island countries hailing the decision as a victory.

SCIENCE & TECH

Over 50% of the world’s mangrove ecosystems at risk of collapse by 2050, IUCN says

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) released Wednesday its first-ever assessment of the world’s mangrove ecosystems, showing that more than half of them are at risk of collapse by 2050.

—————————————————

CONFERENCE

The HackSummit, Europe’s largest gathering of ClimateTech builders and investors is coming to Lausanne, Switzerland on June 13-14. And you’re invited. You’ll be in great company with 1,500 of the brightest minds in climate and biodiversity, including Marty Odlin of Running Tide, Kevin Webb of Superorganism, Zoe Balmforth of Pivotal, Leo Caprez of BrainForest and Sonja Stuchtey of The Landbanking Group. And it’ll probably be the most fun you’ll have at a ClimateTech Summit this year. Ready to join? Use the code CARBONPULSE20 to save 20% on your pass.

—————————————————

BITE-SIZED UPDATES FROM AROUND THE WORLD

BUSINESS & FINANCE

Hydropower habitats – Austrian utility company Verbund has issued a seven-year green bond with biodiversity elements for €500 mln. Verbund intends to use at most 10% of the proceeds for financing biodiversity projects around hydropower plants in Austria and Bavaria. “An essential design feature of such concepts are bypass rivers, which restore continuity and at the same time provide important habitats for fish, amphibians, water-bound birds, and many other rare river meadow species,” the company said. (EQS News)

Panama project – A group of investors has partnered to finance a reforestation project in Panama aiming to restore 10,000 has of degraded tropical forests and generate over three mln carbon removal credits. Canadian carbon financier Carbon Streaming, in collaboration with tech giant Microsoft and California-based Rubicon Carbon, have entered into a carbon credit streaming agreement with Azuero Reforestacion Colectiva, a subsidiary of project developer Ponterra, for the Azuero reforestation project in Panama, they announced Tuesday. (Carbon Pulse)

Jaguar advisors – The Jaguar Legacy Fund has announced five members of the Jaguar Corridor Impact Investment Fund Advisory Board. Sid Embree, fund founder, said on LinkedIn these are: Michelle Arevalo-Carpenter – executive director of strategy and content at sustainability platform SOCAP Global, Jorge Alers – former CEO for Latin America and the Caribbean at law firm Dentons, Fernando Rivas – managing director at Spanish fund manager ZM Capital Corp, Natalia Arango – a conservation biologist, and Steve Elkins – an explorer.

Pledges – Seven more financial institutions have signed the Finance for Biodiversity Pledge, a commitment launched in 2020 to protect and restore biodiversity through finance activities and investments. The new signatories are Banco de Bogota S.A., Chesnara Plc, EBG Investment Solutions AG, Ecofi, Ethical Investment Funds Management, Eurazeo, and Five Seasons Ventures. To date, with 177 signatories from 27 countries, the pledge represents €22.1 trillion of combined AUM in total.

Make-up – Cosmetic brand Patyka has partnered with nature tech firm Darwin to monitor its impact on biodiversity. Darwin will support the company in onboarding data, covering more environmental pressures, and enhancing spatial analysis. The tech firm will also help Patyka establish a comprehensive nature roadmap with specific targets that can be monitored in real time.

POLICY

Safe flight – The government of Canada has announced an allocation of C$15 mln in the Conserva Aves initiative, a bird and biodiversity conservation partnership created in 2021. The three-year investment will assist Birds Canada in safeguarding migratory birds and their habitats to achieve the goals of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. It will fund the establishment of 100 protected areas in Latin America and the Caribbean, totalling at least two mln ha.

SCIENCE & TECH

Dutch dashboard – IUCN NL is developing a Dutch national biodiversity dashboard in collaboration with research centre Naturalis, mobile phone company TelefoonNL, and the Sovon Dutch Centre for Field Ornithology. The dashboard provides an overview of scientifically substantiated and regularly updated information about biodiversity in the Netherlands. Its goals have four themes: helping biodiversity improve, protecting nature, reducing pressures on biodiversity, and encouraging systemic change.

Got a tip? How about some feedback? Email us at news@carbon-pulse.com