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TOP STORY

French compliance biodiversity project sells €17.5 mln worth of credits

A French company has sold all of its 357 compliance credits created over the last 13 years at a value of €17.5 million, while another initiative has revealed two voluntary buyers.

MARKET

INTERVIEW: Biodiversity net gain broker announces soil testing partnership

An English consultancy with a newly launched biodiversity net gain (BNG) broker service has announced a soil testing partnership to back up nature claims.

BioCarbon revamps biodiversity credit standard

BioCarbon has released a revamped version of its biodiversity credit standard, including making credits eligible for offsetting and strengthening safeguards to protect Indigenous Peoples’ rights.

‘Biodiversity net gain is a success’, 47 organisations tell UK govt

Some 47 UK investment firms, environmental market actors, and property companies have signed an open letter to the government, championing the role of biodiversity net gain (BNG) policy in driving a “sustainable housebuilding revolution”.

BUSINESS & FINANCE

Spanish asset manager launches EU-backed sustainable agrifood fund

A Madrid-based asset manager has launched a fund to support Spanish small- and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) in the agrifood sector in implementing more sustainable practices, including biodiversity protection.

Central banks urged to address nature degradation impacts on prices

Central banks should address the impacts of biodiversity loss alongside climate-related factors in monetary policy, as nature degradation has the potential to affect price stability in the long term, according to a policy brief released this week.

TOOLS & GUIDANCE

UNEP FI signs partnerships to advance financial nature reporting

The UN Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) has signed two global partnerships aimed at advancing nature-related disclosures among financial institutions, it announced on Tuesday.

POLICY

Cali fund to launch at resuming COP16 talks in Rome

The long-awaited financial mechanism for sharing benefits from the use of digital sequence information (DSI) from genetic resources will be officially launched during the first day of the resuming UN COP16 biodiversity talks, due to be held in Italy next week.

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BITE-SIZED UPDATES FROM AROUND THE WORLD

MARKET

French forests – France has published afforestation and revegetation methodologies to be used in its ‘low-carbon label’ scheme. The certification methods were published on Wednesday on the French government’s website. They pave the way for a new era of nature-based crediting under the domestic scheme. After years of work, the revision of the two forestry methodologies under the low-carbon label is nearing completion, according to the government’s website. (Carbon Pulse)

Agriculture vision – The EU Commission will develop opportunities for nature credits, it said on Wednesday in its vision for agriculture. These units represent high-quality nature outcomes. “A number of existing schemes developed by commercial operators and ongoing pilot projects, both at EU and international level, show the important potential for such projects, on which further work can build,” it said. (Carbon Pulse)

BUSINESS & FINANCE

Coral rich – The Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES) has increased the total money allocated for coral reef restoration and conservation initiatives to R$45 mln (nearly $8 mln) from R$30 mln it announced this week. Twelve projects have been selected so far, with six of them set to receive immediate support. “The increase in funding was a response to the number of good projects registered in the public selection process, as well as the urgent need to tackle issues like coral bleaching,” BNDES said in a statement.

Land degradation – The UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and South Korea-based Global Green Growth Institute have agreed to jointly tackle sustainable land and water management, biodiversity conservation and climate resilience. Together they will create solutions that integrate sustainability with economic growth, enhance resource mobilisation efforts to secure funding, and engage the private sector on investment.

Guyana credits – The former president of Colombia, Ivan Duque, has said that Guyana has opportunities in biodiversity credits, as well as nature-related bonds, debt swaps, and impact investment. With large rainforests, low deforestation rates, and a wealth of natural resources, Guyana is poised to become one of the leading green economies within Latin America, Duque predicted at a conference in Guyana, reported News Source. “I consider Guyana a green superpower,” he said.

TOOLS & GUIDANCE

Brown fields – A report on brownfield habitats and the UK’s BNG policy has been published by the West Midlands Combined Authority. The 153-page document covers how ‘open mosaic habitats’ fit into the BNG system, Mike Webb, natural capital programme manager at the authority said on LinkedIn. The report covers areas such as the role of urban zones for biodiversity, conflicting pressures, and nature-based solutions. The guide comes during a government consultation period for brownfield sites in the UK.

POLICY

Amazon raid – Brazilian environmental agents have kicked off a year-long project called “Operation Maravalha” to address illegal logging in the states of Amazonas, Para, and Rondonia, Reuters reported. In their first raid in the Amazon rainforest, agents seized more than 5,000 truckloads of timber in one of the most heavily logged regions of the area. According to Reuters, the government expects the operation to be the largest of its kind in years.

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