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TOP STORY
France launches voluntary biodiversity credit scheme
The French government has announced the launch of a national scheme for voluntary biodiversity credits, in an attempt to mobilise private financing towards nature conservation and restoration.
MARKET
INTERVIEW: Waiting for the biodiversity market to take shape
The plethora of biodiversity crediting standards that have emerged over the past couple of years will be narrowed down to just a few once the market takes off – whenever that may be.
BUSINESS & FINANCE
Triodos Bank to ringfence €500 mln in nature-based solutions by 2030
Dutch-headquartered bank Triodos announced on Tuesday it will invest a minimum of €500 million in nature-based solutions (NbS) by the end of 2030 as part of its biodiversity strategy.
INTERVIEW: Landscape-level approaches to nature gaining traction
The first signs of big business taking landscape-level approaches to ecosystems are stirring, with billion-dollar companies enquiring daily this summer, offering more promise for nature markets than biodiversity credits, according to a consultancy executive.
Sovereign specialists launch principles to boost nature, climate financing
A group of sovereign debt specialists on Sunday released principles for improving access to nature- and climate-related financial products.
ClimeFi, Xprize launch global CDR challenge to shore up demand
Global portfolio manager for carbon removals ClimeFi and innovation competition organiser Xprize on Friday unveiled the Global 1000 CDR Challenge, urging the world’s largest corporations to commit to purchasing at least 1,000 tonnes of permanent removal credits in 2025.
Bioenergy demand set to triple by 2030, fuelling deforestation and biodiversity loss -report
The global biomass energy industry is set to triple by 2030, driving carbon emissions, deforestation, and biodiversity loss, according to a new analysis released on Monday.
UK digital bank buys 25 acres of woodland as part of 2035 climate positive pledge
A Durham-based fintech has purchased 25 acres (10.1 hectares) of new woodland in Northeast England as part of a commitment to become climate positive by 2035, the company announced on Tuesday.
TOOLS & GUIDANCE
Improved biodiversity metrics needed to help companies align with CSRD, report says
Companies are lagging behind in aligning biodiversity-related disclosures with the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), and are failing to disclose metrics, an assessment has found.
POLICY
Canadian, Indigenous govts ink landmark C$375-mln conservation deal
The Canadian and Indigenous governments, together with a group of private donors, signed on Thursday an agreement set to unlock C$375 million ($270 mln) over the next 10 years for conservation efforts in the Northwest Territories (NWT).
Norway commits $60 mln to the Amazon Fund
The Norwegian government has pledged an additional NOK 670 million ($60 mln) to the Amazon Fund to help conserve the rainforest region, it announced on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Brazil.
PROJECTS
IUCN partners with marine expedition to boost conservation in Western Indian Ocean
The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has teamed up with the Odisea expedition to explore and protect biodiversity in the Western Indian Ocean, the organisation announced on Monday during the ongoing UN climate talks in Baku, Azerbaijan.
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BITE-SIZED UPDATES FROM AROUND THE WORLD
MARKET
Haven key – In England a 245-ha farm in Keyhaven, Hampshire will deliver 440 biodiversity net gain (BNG) units for sale to developers under national requirements. Rural asset developer Kingwell has signed agreements with the local planning authorities to generate the BNG units, alongside 3,950 nitrate mitigation credits. When restored the degraded farmland will connect several other conservation sites to help create a larger reserve with 400 ha in total.
Carbon and nature credits – The UK has set out six new principles for trading voluntary carbon and nature credits, building on the work done by the International Advisory Panel on Biodiversity Credits, and seeking to quickly bolster international trade. The government will initiate a public consultation on how they could be applied in 2025, including how they could be reflected and strengthened in policy, regulation, and guidance. “Forecasts indicate that the size of these markets could reach tens of billions of dollars, globally, by the end of decade,” it said. (Carbon Pulse)
BUSINESS & FINANCE
Ancient tanks – Sri Lankan bank Amana has partnered with conservationists Biodiversity Sri Lanka on a project focused on conserving their country’s mangroves while educating local communities. The project aims to restore a degraded mangrove forest in a wetland sanctuary, Colombo-based Daily Mirror reported. The Anawilundawa sanctuary, in the northwest of the country, has an ancient system of tanks harbouring threatened fish, amphibians, birds, mammals, and reptiles.
POLICY
Next year, maybe – COP16 President Susana Muhamad has told AFP she believes parties will reach a biodiversity financial deal in early 2025. The UN biodiversity summit, held in Cali, Colombia from Nov.21-Dec.1, ended without an agreement on the financial mechanism, as talks were cut short amid delegates’ departures. “Hopefully, in the next plenary, we should be [able] in the first quarter of next year to close COP16 [and] we will be able to get to that agreement … in the first quarter of 2025,” she said on the sidelines of the ongoing COP29 UN climate talks in Baku, Azerbaijan.
Clash over fins – The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), held in Cyprus over Nov. 11-18, has ended with a “dramatic showdown” over shark finning, the Shark League for the Atlantic and Mediterranean said in a statement. China and Japan thwarted a vote on a proposal by Belize on establishing a finning ban, which required that sharks be landed with their fins naturally attached. “We are exasperated that a strong, enforceable shark finning ban has once again been blocked by essentially two countries, despite clear scientific advice and overwhelming support from governments and conservationists alike,” said Sonja Fordham, President of Shark Advocates International. ICCAT still managed to agree on protections for devil rays, mantas, and whale sharks while also taking steps to improve countries’ compliance with existing requirements to report and limit shark catch.
Growing crew – Tajikistan will join the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) following a decree signed on Saturday by the country’s President Emomali Rahmon. The nation will be represented by state body the Committee for Environmental Protection under the government of Tajikistan. Joining the IUCN will enable Tajikistan to access funding from the Global Environment Facility and the Green Climate Fund, according to the government.
Charging up ecotourism – New Zealand has proposed modernising the nation’s conservation management system, aiming to protect natural areas while supporting the growth of regional economies and ecotourism. The government released two documents on the topic for consultation, Devdiscourse reported. The consultation will explore the introduction of access charges for some high-demand conservation areas.
SCIENCE & TECH
Advancing research – The University of Cambridge and Jesus College have partnered with a Brazilian producer of bio-based raw materials, Suzano, to advance research on biodiversity protection. A £10 mln donation will support the creation of a new endowed studentship fund for Brazilian nationals focusing on conservation and ecology. The funding will also provide for academics to research the interaction between human and natural systems. Under the initiative, researchers will be given access to Suzano’s conservation areas across Brazil’s Atlantic Forest, Cerrado, and Amazon biomes.
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