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TOP STORY
Australia commits fundings to Nature Repair Market projects
The Australian government has announced funding in the upcoming budget will underpin projects in its Nature Repair Market (NRM).
MARKET
Ghana initiative aims to mobilise $25 bln for carbon, biodiversity projects
A new public-private partnership in Ghana is set to mobilise $25 billion of climate finance to restore degraded land and waterways, while generating hundreds of millions of investment-grade carbon and biodiversity credits, the partners announced on Monday.
UK financial services can support nature markets expansion, professional body says
The UK financial services industry is well-equipped to drive the expansion of nature markets across biodiversity and carbon, a professional body said on Tuesday.
BUSINESS & FINANCE
Brazilian bank issues R$1.4-bln bond linked to biodiversity, social initiatives
A large Brazilian bank announced on Thursday it has raised R$1.4 billion ($250 million) with a bond aimed at funding biodiversity conservation and social programmes across the country.
Nature-positive investor initiative engages with major clothing brands
A group of 16 investors has asked an equal number of clothing companies to commit to embedding nature-positive practices into their supply chains to reduce sustainability risks.
Major European retail banks fail to account for plastic pollution risks in their financial policies, think tank warns
European retail banks largely overlook plastic pollution in their lending decisions, which is poised to expose them to increasing financial risks, according to a London-based think tank.
TOOLS & GUIDANCE
Insurance, consultancy firms release guidance for corporate nature risk assessment
The risk division of a large French-headquartered insurance company and a UK-based consultancy firm have released a report to help businesses assess their nature-related impacts and dependencies.
IUCN trials restoration metric at landscape scale with mining company
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is planning to pilot the use of its nature restoration metric at landscape scale in a collaboration with Australia-headquartered mining company Fortescue.
SCIENCE & TECH
Report flags massive impact of EU’s pulp industry on wood use for bioenergy
The pulp industry may be responsible for burning up to 45 million cubic metres of wood sourced from forests and plantations across the EU each year, a report has said.
Forest restoration must prioritise biodiversity outcomes, study says
Forest restoration efforts should better consider outcomes for biodiversity, with emerging market-based mechanisms offering a promising opportunity to secure additional funding, according to a recent paper.
Australia’s environment sees slight improvement, but major threats to biodiversity persist, report finds
The status of Australia’s environment slightly improved last year, though habitat destruction, invasive species, and the ongoing climate crisis continue to threaten native ecosystems, according to an annual report released this week.
Bottom trawling in Europe costs society nearly €11 bln annually, study finds
Bottom trawling in European waters imposes an annual cost of up to €10.8 billion on society, primarily due to CO2 emissions released from disturbed seafloor sediments, according to a pre-print study published this week.
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BITE-SIZED UPDATES FROM AROUND THE WORLD
BUSINESS & FINANCE
Reforestation – Brazil’s Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MMA) and Ministry of Development and Family Farming (MDA), as well as its national development bank (BNDES), on Friday launched three public calls for proposals to restore a critical deforestation area. The Restore Amazon (Portuguese: Restaura Amazonia) initiative pertains to three ‘macro-regions’: the states of Acre, Amazonas, and Rondonia; the states of Mato Grosso and Tocantins; and the states of Para and Maranhao. Friday’s announcement takes place in the so-called ‘Restoration Arc’ – a critical deforestation area that stretches from the eastern part of Maranhao to the state of Acre. The Arc of Restoration project is a partnership between BNDES and the MMA that aims to recover 6 mln ha by 2030. Friday’s calls are backed by R$150 mln ($26 mln) from the Amazon Fund, which is also managed by BNDES with the MMA. (Carbon Pulse)
Upgraded – London-based nature tech firm NatureAlpha has launched an upgraded version of its AI-powered platform, designed to help companies and investors assess nature-related risks. Dubbed Geoverse 2.0 and aligned with the Taskforce on Nature-Related Financial Disclosures recommendations, the platform covers 8.5 mln asset locations worldwide, according to the company. “Too often we hear that financial institutions are challenged by the inaccessibility and fragmentation of comprehensive, quality nature data, preventing action from being taken. We must dispel this common misconception, as the data is available now and it is time to act,” said Nick Hough-Robbins, CEO at NatureAlpha.
Frogs – The Bezos Earth Fund has allocated $2 mln to help save 25 endangered frog species, it announced on Thursday. The donation will support a five-year project called the Tropical Amphibian Resilience Initiative. Led by the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and the Smithsonian National Zoological Park Conservation Biology Institute, in partnership with the Amphibian Survival Alliance (ASA), the initiative focuses on conservation, rewilding, and disease prevention across Panama, Venezuela, Ecuador, and Colombia. “For the first time, we are launching a coordinated international effort to halt amphibian extinctions in the Neotropics, a region that harbours 48% of the world’s amphibian biodiversity,” said Gina Della Togna, executive director of ASA.
River bank – The Asian Development Bank (ADB) committed on Friday a $150-mln loan to the South Dongting Lake Wetland Ecological Restoration and Sustainable Development project, co-financed by the French Development Agency. The project, located in China’s Hunan province, aims to provide a model for wetland conservation and sustainable development in the Asia Pacific region. It marks the first investment under ADB’s Regional Flyway Initiative, focused on wetland conservation.
POLICY
Trees of life – The UK government has announced plans to plant 20 mln trees across Bristol, Wiltshire, Gloucestershire, and Somerset by 2050, creating at least 2,500 ha of new woodland. The government said the Western Forest project, led by the Forest of Avon Trust, will help the country meet its biodiversity targets, including halting the decline of species and protecting 30% of land by 2030. “The Western Forest will enhance, connect, and improve our urban and rural landscapes, support investment into the region, create jobs and skills opportunities, and bring the endless benefits we get back from planting and caring for our trees,” said Alex Stone, chief executive of Forest of Avon.
Indigenous lands – The International Institute of Education of Brazil and the Brazilian Fund for Biodiversity have launched a project aimed at strengthening nature conservation across 6 mln ha of Indigenous lands, distributed among the Amazon, Atlantic Forest, Cerrado, Caatinga, and Pantanal biomes. Dubbed Ywy Ipuranguete and coordinated by Brazil’s Ministry of Indigenous Peoples, the initiative is backed by a $9-mln investment from the Global Biodiversity Framework Fund.
Estate of affairs – Landowners who collectively own 10% of England’s land met to draft plans to help the country achieve its nature recovery target. The National Estate for Nature’s public, private, and civil society landowners will play a key role in reaching national targets such as protecting 30% of land by 2030, the government said in a press release. The group included groups such as the Crown Estate, United Utilities, National Trust, and the Canal and River Trust.
Bug off – The UK set out plans to reduce pesticides use by 10% by 2030 in a bid to protect pollinators, compared to 2018 figures. The UK Pesticides National Action Plan 2025 aims to promote the sustainable use of pesticides, minimising impacts on the environment and human health, while supporting food security and managing pesticide resistance. The target will be measured using a Pesticide Load Indicator.
SCIENCE & TECH
Melting away – Glaciers across many regions in the world may not survive this century if current melting trends continue, posing a threat to millions of people living downstream, UN climate experts warned on Thursday. Ahead of the first World Day for Glaciers, experts said there have been irreversible changes over the past few years, with the period between 2022-24 experiencing the largest-ever three-year loss. For example, in central Europe, almost 40% of the remaining ice has melted, they said. “If this continues at the current rate, glaciers will not survive this century in the Alps,” Michael Zemp, director of the World Glacier Monitoring Service at the University of Zurich, said in a statement.
Biomassive – A new study has revealed a fresh look at the critical role of biodiversity in the functioning of ecosystems. The paper, led by a researcher from University College London and published in the journal Science, revealed how and why biomass – the weight of living organisms in an area – increases with the number of species. It suggested that ecosystems with greater diversity generally support higher biomass, as they are more likely to include rare large-bodied species – such as great white sharks or elephants.
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