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
Mexican investor pre-purchases $25,000 of biodiversity, carbon credits
A Mexican investment firm has partnered with a France-based environmental company to pre-purchase biodiversity, water, and carbon credits worth $25,000, Carbon Pulse has learned.
Tech firm delays launch of biodiversity credit framework due to market uncertainties
A Switzerland-based digital carbon standard has decided to delay the takeoff of its biodiversity credit framework due to market uncertainties, expecting to launch the programme within the next 12-18 months.
MARKET
Wetland restoration project in Italy to sell biodiversity tokens, two European companies to buy
A wetland restoration project in Italy is set to generate the first batch of tokenised biodiversity credits, with two large European companies ready to buy them, Carbon Pulse has learned.
Forest biodiversity unit pilot launches in Congo
A pilot in the Republic of Congo that aims to generate climate and biodiversity units under the High Integrity Forest Investment Initiative (HIFOR) has been launched by a US-based NGO.
BUSINESS & FINANCE
Japanese carmaker to help Thailand develop framework for privately managed OECMs
A major carmaker in Japan has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the government of Thailand to develop a prototype for Other Effective area-based Conservation Measures (OECMs) managed by private companies in a bid to take the Southeast Asian nation closer to meeting its biodiversity commitments.
Investors must strengthen approach to protected biodiversity areas -UN report
Investors should adopt a specific strategy when investing near areas with protected biodiversity, charity ShareAction and the UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) said in a report published on Tuesday.
UK pension fund buys stake in nature asset manager
A UK local government pension fund has acquired a minority stake in an asset manager specialising in curbing corporate exposure to nature-related risks, the organisations announced Monday in a joint statement.
POLICY
British govt lobbied to cut biodiversity net gain exemptions
Eight NGOs and business groups sent a letter to the British government on Thursday asking for the removal of some developer exemptions from the biodiversity net gain (BNG) requirements in England.
Non-profits call on Malaysian PM to overhaul timber certification system, align with EUDR
Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim should reform the “broken” Malaysian Timber Certification Scheme (MTCS) due to the challenges faced by Indigenous communities, while urging it to be aligned with the EU’s Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), according to a group of non-profits.
Committee recommends Australia’s Nature Positive Bill go ahead, with caveats
An Australian Senate committee has recommended the Nature Positive Bill 2024 be passed by the Senate, the nation’s upper house of parliament, subject to several recommendations it has made.
Philippines govt, UN agency launch €104-mln initiative to support sustainable farming
A UN agency and the government of the Philippines announced today the launch of an over €100-million project to support local farming communities and protect the country’s fragile ecosystems.
Experts call for COP16 to address Amazon crimes destroying nature
Experts on the Amazon have urged action from politicians at the COP16 conference to combat the policies fuelling demand for products from activities like gold mining that are driving biodiversity loss.
Three out of four people believe causing environmental damage should be a crime -survey
Nearly three out of four people in G20 countries believe causing environmental damage should be a criminal offence, according to a survey released on Friday.
SCIENCE & TECH
Authors of controversial paper on Indigenous territories respond to debate
Researchers have responded to criticism about their paper discussing the percentage of biodiversity found in territories managed by Indigenous Peoples (IPs).
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EVENTS
ecology calling returns to London in September. Bringing the city’s thriving nature and biodiversity business community together for series II, the intimate weekly evening events are held in the Linnean Society of London’s Meeting Room where Darwin presented ‘On the Origin of Species’. Panel discussions by leaders in the field provide plenty of room for audience Q&A with further networking opportunities at the nearby pub afterwards. This series topics include: navigating greenwashing, advances in MRV with eDNA, beaver reintroduction in Britain, and technical considerations for nature finance, with more TBA. Use the ‘pulse20’ code to secure your discount on tickets.
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BITE-SIZED UPDATES FROM AROUND THE WORLD
MARKET
Protecting high-risk forest areas – Researchers have raised concerns about the efficacy of current carbon crediting methods for high-forest, low-deforestation (HFLD) jurisdictions, suggesting that a shift towards more predictive models is necessary to better safeguard these critical forested areas. The study, authored by academics at the National University of Singapore and published by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), points out the shortcomings of relying solely on historical deforestation rates to set crediting baselines, which fail to account for the future deforestation risks that many HFLDs face. (Carbon Pulse)
A growing market – The Australian Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) released Monday an early version of its annual report on the state of the New South Wales (NWS) biodiversity credit market, calling on people and businesses in the space to provide feedback on competition, fairness, and efficiency. According to the paper, around 20,000 more credits were transferred between proponents and landholders in 2023-24 compared to 2022-23. The market saw a total of 236 transactions, up from 159 in the previous year, and the total value of these transactions reached A$226 mln – more than all other years combined since the market’s inception. The full version of the report will be released in Dec.
Nature’s recipe – Charts showing the indicators used by existing biodiversity credit standard methodologies, the “recipes”, have been published by Bloom Labs, The Biodiversity Footprint Intelligence Company, and consultant Giada Lampitelli. A “nutriscore” distinguished between credits of different quality, where a credit associated with the most significant biodiversity like endangered species have the best scores.
BUSINESS & FINANCE
Disclosures – Australian-based natural capital tech company FLINTPro has launched a tool to help companies assess their nature-related risks and dependencies. Dubbed Global Biodiversity Module, the tool is aligned with the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures’ (TNFD) LEAP approach and the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), the company said in a statement.
Biodiversity-focused – Luxembourg-based M&G Investment Funds announced last week the renaming of its climate-focused fund to ‘Nature and Biodiversity Solutions Fund’, aiming to invest in companies that deliver solutions to biodiversity loss, nature degradation, and climate change. “There is growing evidence and recognition of the link between climate change and biodiversity loss,” M&G said in a statement. “We therefore consider it to be a natural extension to the fund to add a focus on nature and biodiversity”. The decision will provide the investment team with a larger range of potential investment opportunities, it added.
Two more – The Australian philanthropic group Macdoch Foundation has renewed its financial support to the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) for another two years. The foundation first announced a $500,000 grant to the task force in 2022. “Our funding of TNFD is one of our flagship grants to support greater accountability and action on nature,” said Michelle Gortan, CEO of the Macdoch Foundation and a member of the TNFD’s Stewardship Council, which brings together the founding partners of the task force and other government and philanthropic entities that support it.
Blue is the colour – The blue debt market, such as bonds and loans, is growing, but ratings provider Sustainable Fitch believes the expansion is constrained by a lack of guidelines for determining qualified projects. Projects related to freshwater are better defined in sustainable finance frameworks than those linked to the ocean, it said. “This restricts the evaluation of the environmental and social impact of potential projects related to nature-based solutions for a sustainable ocean economy.”
POLICY
Edging closer – An agreement signed this week by the government of Western Australia and Malgana Aboriginal Corporation has expanded the protections for Shark Bay by creating an additional 183,000 ha of national parks and reserves. The area will be jointly managed by the Malgana people and the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation, and Attractions, local authorities said in a statement on Tuesday. “The government has now delivered a total of 4.3 mln ha of new conservation areas under Plan for Our Parks,” said environment minister Reece Whitby. “This is an amazing achievement as we move towards our 5-mln-ha target.”
Lack of transparency – Accountability.Fish, a global NGO dedicated to improving transparency and accountability in international fisheries governance, has raised concerns over the lack of transparency within the Western Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC), a body that governs nearly 60% of the world’s tuna supply. On Monday, the organisation accused 17 member states of blocking observers from attending key sessions of its key Technical and Compliance Committee meeting: Australia, Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, New Zealand, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu.
SCIENCE & TECH
Data sharing – UK charity the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) has signed an agreement with Wales’ four Local Environmental Records Centres (LERC) to share species data in a bid to bolster conservation efforts. This agreement aims to ensure that wildlife data is considered in decision making by consultants, planners, and Welsh government sponsored body Natural Resources Wales (NRW).
Old but gold – UAE-based Fujairah Research Centre has announced an initiative aimed at boosting marine conservation efforts through combining “ancient Emirati practices” with cutting-edge scientific methods. Notably, it will leverage natural materials, including date palm leaves and oyster shells, to rejuvenate marine ecosystems. “Recent analyses reveal a substantial increase in coral propagation and marine biodiversity in the areas where this technique has been implemented,” said the research centre. (ESG Mena)
Green prescribing – A government-backed project in England that prescribes nature-based activities for mental health improvement has significantly benefited many of its 8,000 participants, The Guardian reported. Activities such as nature walks, community gardening, and wild swimming helped boost participants’ feelings of happiness, while reducing anxiety. The scheme was cost-effective at £500 per participant, compared to £1,000 for 10 sessions of therapy.
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