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TOP STORY
FEATURE: EU omnibus proposals for nature reporting are “dangerous”
Stakeholders have strongly opposed the proposed two-year delay and the exclusion of smaller businesses from the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), arguing that these changes weaken market signals necessary to address the biodiversity crisis.
BUSINESS & FINANCE
Goldman Sachs Asset Management launches biodiversity bond fund
Goldman Sachs Asset Management announced on Thursday the launch of a global biodiversity bond fund to address investors’ increasing interest in nature, the firm has said.
UK energy company to set nature targets in line with TNFD
UK energy company Drax has committed to setting biodiversity targets in its newly released sustainability framework, also pledging to align with the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) recommendations by next year.
Venture exec reveals biggest biodiversity investment opportunities
A Switzerland-based venture capital investor has revealed the startup specialisms it considers the most investable in biodiversity, ranging from AI to regenerative agriculture.
Investors keen to grow nature conservation investment in Canada
Investors are keen to grow their portfolios with nature conservation investment in Canada, according to a new report which seeks to benchmark progress of the country’s nature finance market.
TOOLS & GUIDANCE
UK tech companies announce AI-driven biodiversity risk partnership
An AI-focused research centre, established by a subsidiary of one of Japan’s largest insurers, and a nature data company have announced a partnership on a biodiversity risk product.
POLICY
COP16: UK releases national biodiversity plan for 2030
The UK government published its National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) on Wednesday, committing to achieving all the 23 targets of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF).
Australia publishes first ecosystem services accounts, placing value at A$85 bln
Australia’s ecosystem services provided at least A$85 billion ($53 bln) worth of support for its economic wellbeing, despite its declining health, according to the country’s first experimental National Ecosystem Accounts released Thursday.
Scottish govt releases plan to scale nature financing
The Scottish government has released a plan outlining actions to drive financing towards biodiversity protection across the country, including developing an Ecosystem Restoration Code to scale up market-based investment.
SCIENCE & TECH
Biodiversity conservation funding largely ignores threatened species, study finds
The bulk of global biodiversity funding over the past decades went towards the conservation of a limited number of species, often non-threatened, while those in urgent need of protection were largely overlooked, according to a 25-year study released this week.
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BITE-SIZED UPDATES FROM AROUND THE WORLD
MARKET
Plastic VVB – Philippines-headquartered PCX Solutions has announced a partnership with validation and verification body Tuv Sud in the context of its Plastic Pollution Reduction Standard (PPRS). Tuv Sud will support the standard in quantifying the impact of PPRS projects, in a bid to reduce risks in plastic waste management and increase trust and accountability between projects and their stakeholders. “Our goal is to support sustainable initiatives while ensuring transparency and accountability throughout the plastic management value chain,” Khushboo Oswal from Tuv Sud said in a statement.
Credit concerns – Some MEPs across the political left and right have raised concerns over the EU Commission’s plan to support the expansion of the biodiversity credit market across the bloc, Euractiv reported. Jonas Sjostedt from The Left group, Cesar Luena from centre-left S&D, and Alexandr Vondra from right-wing ECR were among the lawmakers who voiced reservations about attempts to put a price on nature, including through scaling biodiversity credits. Meanwhile, Pascal Canfin from the liberal group Renew Europe said his party supports the idea, but warned that strong safeguards must be put in place to prevent companies from using this mechanism to greenwash their environmentally harmful practices.
BUSINESS & FINANCE
Nature corner – Air New Zealand announced on Thursday it has allocated NZ$1 mln ($570,000) to launch an initiative aimed at supporting nature restoration projects across the country. Dubbed Every Corner Project, and funded through the airline’s Climate and Nature Fund, the programme is designed to ensure that money reaches communities that have limited access to sustainability financing, said the company. Under the initiative, eligible activities include planting native trees, establishing native gardens, food gardens, or beehives, reducing food waste, advancing nature and climate education, and restoring beaches, mangroves, wetlands, and waterways. Applications close on Mar. 31.
POLICY
Lake Tanganyika – The governments of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania, Zambia, and Burundi, have launched a five-year project to address threats to the biodiversity of the Lake Tanganyika Basin, UNEP has said. The biodiversity hotspot, which crosses the borders of all four countries, has a population of over 10 mln and faces serious threats from increasing human numbers. Funded by the Global Environment Facility, the programme will promote sustainable fisheries, conservation, and landscape restoration.
Protecting the Great White North – Canada’s federal government and its Northwest Territories have signed the C$20-mln ($14 mln) Canada-Northwest Territories Nature Agreement to advance nature-related priorities. The agreement is set to run 10 years and includes an initial federal funding bump of C$7 mln for 2025-26. Aimed at long-term environmental sustainability and addressing biodiversity loss, the territory will work with Indigenous governments to protect and conserve 6% of its landmass by 2028, and up to 9.6% by 2035. The authorities said in a release that the agreement represents a significant contribution to the country’s goal of conserving 30% of land and water in Canada by 2030.
Marine governance – WWF has launched the first-ever assessment of community-led marine governance in the South West Indian Ocean, outlining recommendations to advance biodiversity conservation and enhance the livelihood of local communities. These include strengthening tenure and community rights, tailoring solutions to national and local needs, diversifying funding sources, and improving data sharing and use. “There are still gaps in understanding the status of ecosystem management but the findings in this [report] will help the Southwest Indian Ocean region … continue to build up long-lasting and well-protected community-managed ecosystems,” it said.
Debt group – The Finance for Biodiversity (FfB) Foundation announced on Wednesday the launch of the Sovereign Debt focus group, aiming to develop practical guidance for financial institutions on integrating nature considerations into sovereign debt finance. The group includes 17 FfB members, spanning banks, asset owners, asset managers, and insurers. The group will assess how NBSAPs and national biodiversity policies align with financial market expectations, while also examining countries’ natural capital, key economic sectors, and their role in global biodiversity. “While existing nature frameworks focus primarily on corporate assets, there remains a critical gap in assessing sovereign assets on nature,” Gaelle Blanchard, chair of the Sovereign Debt focus group, said in a statement.
Demand change – A senator of the Philippines, Loren Legarda, has issued an urgent call for ocean protection through stronger commitments on marine biodiversity conservation, blue carbon ecosystems, and climate-resilient ocean governance. Her comments come in the run-up to the UN Ocean Conference, which takes place in June in France. “With just 100 days before the Ocean Conference, we must move beyond pledges and into action. We cannot politely request change, we must demand it,” reported the Philippine Information Agency.
SCIENCE & TECH
Nature denial – As the COP16 negotiations have resumed, scientists have been stunned by the denial of biodiversity collapse, but are fighting back, reported Le Monde. The more tangible the effects of biodiversity erosion become, the more mobilisation on the issues retreats. “A true awareness would be one that leads to action. But that doesn’t exist at all,” said Vincent Bretagnolle, an ecologist and research director at the Chize Center for Biological Studies in France.
Minimising impacts – With strategic planning, food from marine life can expand to feed billions while minimising impact on underwater biodiversity, according to research led by the University of Michigan and published by Nature journal. The increase in demand for marine food by 2050 can be met with a 31% decrease in impacts to global marine biodiversity, it said. This can happen if all future fish farms are placed in sea areas with the lowest cumulative effects on biodiversity.
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