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

Biodiversity credit firms partner to scale nature markets

Two of the participants in the emerging biodiversity credit market are partnering to align their work with the aim of scaling nature markets in Africa, Europe, and the Americas, Carbon Pulse has learned.

INTERVIEW: SBTN tweaks protocol to make methodologies feasible

The Science Based Targets Network (SBTN) this month released updated technical guidance and a corporate manual to help companies tackle their nature impacts, at a time of intensifying debate over perceived trade-offs between rigour and feasibility in target-setting.

MARKET

UK authorities could open developers up to “commercial ransom” under biodiversity rules

Local authorities could expose developers to exploitation from landowners, with worse outcomes for nature and housing, if they force the purchase of nature offsets nearby rather than sourcing them from more distant areas under England’s biodiversity net gain (BNG) legislation, an expert has said.

Plan Vivo moves to plug risk of unintended leakage from biodiversity crediting projects

Nature and carbon standard-setter Plan Vivo Foundation is developing an initiative for measuring the unintended consequences of conservation activities involved in emerging biodiversity markets.

Brazilian organisations propose new mechanism to protect tropical forests

Three Brazilian organisations have unveiled a concept note on a Tropical Forests Mechanism (TFM) designed to help fund efforts to protect and grow tropical forests globally.

BUSINESS & FINANCE

NatureMetrics says 84% of companies unprepared for CSRD, TNFD

Four in five companies are unprepared for reporting on their nature-related risks and dependencies under the recommendations from the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) and the EU’s CSRD, analysis has suggested.

Food giants come out in defence of EU’s anti-deforestation law

Chocolate makers Nestle, Mars Wrigley, and Ferrero have written to the European Commission to defend the EU’s anti-deforestation regulation amid calls to delay and revise the legislation to reduce bureaucracy for small farmers.

Singapore-based investor announces biodiversity accelerator cohort

A Singapore-based investment firm has announced a cohort of eight companies that will take part in an initiative aimed at scaling nature-positive businesses.

TOOLS & GUIDANCE

Australian startup releases guidance on biodiversity metrics to enhance corporate disclosures

An Australian-based biodiversity intelligence startup has developed a model incorporating global and local metrics to assess ecosystem and species health, seeking to enhance data comparability and steer companies in nature-related disclosures.

POLICY

Australia could fix landscapes with just 0.3% of GDP in funding -scientists

Australia could mend much of its degraded landscapes by directing A$7.3 billion ($4.8 bln) in funding per year, equivalent to 0.3% of GDP, a group of scientists said in ‘first-of-its-kind’ in-depth investment analysis on Wednesday.

EU, US blame India for sinking WTO deal on harmful fisheries subsidies

The latest World Trade Organisation (WTO) talks failed to break a deadlock on reform aimed at strengthening rules on harmful fisheries subsidies, with the EU and the US blaming India for thwarting the deal.

SCIENCE & TECH

FEATURE: CO2-derived plastics trump bio-based plastics on GHG footprint, resource usage

CO2-derived plastics could reduce the greenhouse gas footprint of plastics under a clean energy grid scenario and reduce pressure on biomass resources, which will become increasingly in-demand as the world pivots towards a more circular economy, say plastic experts.

—————————————————

BITE-SIZED UPDATES FROM AROUND THE WORLD

BUSINESS & FINANCE

Teaming up – Kelp restoration and sea urchin aquaculture venture Urchinomics has partnered with Japan-based Food & Life Companies (F&LC) to enhance sustainable seafood production and tackle biodiversity loss. The initiative aims to create a stable supply of domestically farmed sea urchins while contributing to the preservation and restoration of kelp beds, the firms said in a statement. “This partnership will enable us to enhance our capacity to deliver high-quality sea urchins to consumers, all while making a positive environmental impact,” said Perry Bevin, CEO of Urchinomics.

Blackberry acoustics – The Ribena manufacturer Suntory Beverage & Food GB&I is using AI and bioacoustics to analyse biodiversity across five blackcurrant farms. In partnership with the Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group South West, the project aims to show the presence of threatened bird species such as the skylark, demonstrating how farm stewardship can align with wildlife protection. (FruitNet)

POLICY

Mangrove conservation – The state government of Sabah in Malaysia will soon launch a Sabah Mangrove Action Plan for the conservation of its mangrove forests, its chief minister has announced. According to the Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor, the state has the largest mangrove forests in the country, making it imperative to have an action plan that will serve as a guide on mangrove management and conservation. The Mangrove Action Plan was endorsed at the state cabinet meeting on Wednesday and is expected to be launched soon, adding that Sabah has around 60% or 378,195 has of the country’s mangrove forests. (Carbon Pulse)

To do list – The UK should take urgent action to restore its coastal areas in order to ensure long-term protection of marine biodiversity, a report has said. Drafted by Blue Marine, UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, University of Portsmouth, University of Essex, and Zoological Society of London, the report urged the government to adopt a whole-site approach to designating and managing marine protected areas prioritising connectivity between features for maximum ecosystem health. It also called for reforming the marine licensing process for seascape restoration projects, creating a new ‘seascape scale’ licence to enable efficient ecosystem recovery.

Alignment – The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) have partnered to streamline ecosystem restoration reporting under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. The two organisations pledged to share data and build synergies between IUCN’s Restoration Barometer and FAO’s Framework for Ecosystem Restoration Monitoring.

Bear blitz – In Slovakia, 41 brown bears have been shot since the beginning of the year, the country’s nature protection authority said, according to Aussiedlerboten. The so-called “problem bears” had “lost their fear of humans or posed a threat to the lives, health, and property of citizens”, a spokesperson said. The country now has a hotline to report bear activity.

Korea-Guatemala – A project to advance sustainable forest and landscape restoration efforts in Guatemala has been launched by the National Forestry Institute of Guatemala, the Global Green Growth Institute, and the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA). The KOICA-funded project aims to address climate change, protect biodiversity, and improve the livelihoods of local communities.

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