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TOP STORY
INTERVIEW: Japan’s blue carbon market could set example for world
The government-endorsed association that runs Japan’s blue carbon market is seeking to share its unique experiences with the rest of the world, with its lessons learned applicable to other natural capital markets elsewhere.
MARKET
EU biodiversity credits will be used for offsetting, MEP predicts
Biodiversity credits in the EU will be used for offsetting rather than for nature-positive benefits, as a way of enabling developer impacts, an MEP has predicted.
BRIEFING: Verra flags confusion among developers over how to meet key plastic programme requirements
Plastic credit project developers often fail to understand and properly meet some of the key requirements set out by US-based standard setter Verra, including the ‘non-negotiable’ additionality criterion, a company manager told a webinar on Tuesday.
BioCarbon lists second project under biodiversity credit programme
The BioCarbon standard has registered a second project under its Biodiversity Crediting Programme, with the initiative planning to generate credits over a 10-year period, the company told Carbon Pulse.
BUSINESS & FINANCE
Banks in Africa, Latin America lagging behind Asia in addressing nature loss, WWF says
Commercial banks in Africa and Latin America are trailing behind their Asian counterparts in action to address nature loss, WWF said on Wednesday.
Nature-related finance needs to change Indigenous engagement, UNEP FI says
The financial sector must change how it engages with Indigenous Peoples, while negotiating nature-related financing in areas including biodiversity credits, UN Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) said in a recent report.
TOOLS & GUIDANCE
Indigenous Peoples rights violated in hydropower projects across Nepal, report finds
A human rights group this week released a report accusing four hydropower projects in Nepal funded by multilateral development banks (MDBs) of violating the rights of Indigenous Peoples to Free, Prior, and Informed Consent, leading among other things to severe biodiversity harm.
POLICY
Global ocean summit draws $9 bln in marine protection pledges
More than 60 countries and organisations announced new commitments to sustainable ocean action at the Our Ocean Conference in South Korea this week, pledging a total of $9.1 billion.
SCIENCE & TECH
Protected areas and indigenous territories offset all Amazon forest emissions -report
Protected areas and indigenous territories contain 60% of the Amazon’s total aboveground biomass and have remained carbon sinks over the past 10 years, according to a new report by the Monitoring of the Andes Amazon Programme.
Colombian peatlands carbon storage capacity up to 1.91 billion tonnes of CO2e -study
Peatland ecosystems can store between four and 10 times more GHGs than other vegetation types, including rainforests, according to a study published in Environmental Research Letters.
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BITE-SIZED UPDATES FROM AROUND THE WORLD
MARKET
Treevive – A forest carbon developer plans to certify three new projects in 2025 as it adapts to changing market preferences and faces regulatory delays, it said in its latest progress report. Dutch company Treevive grew its portfolio to 12 tropical forest projects across nine countries in 2024, with a total coverage of over 400,000 ha in various stages of development, the report said. The firm, which aims to sequester 30 mln tonnes of CO2 across 2 mln ha by 2030, said three of these projects are on track to reach Verra certification in 2025. (Carbon Pulse)
Small bloom – Over 1,000 small developments in England have been supported engaging with biodiversity net gain (BNG) via tool developer Joe’s Blooms. Its software has been used by projects spanning 59 local authorities, with North Yorkshire, Sheffield, and Cornwall the top three, it said on Thursday in a press release. The tool aims to streamline the BNG process by producing all the data and legal documents needed for planning permission. (Carbon Pulse)
BUSINESS & FINANCE
Increasing funding – Issues of sustainable bonds reached $1 trln in 2024. Among those, green bonds surpassed the $625 bln mark, said Environmental Finance. Funds are being allocated for biodiversity conservation, water management, sustainable use of natural resources and more. Proceeds from green bonds and sustainable bonds reached $113 bln and $73 bln respectively, and grew from 10% in 2020 to 23% in 2023.
Tasty peaches – A strategy overseen by UK-based investor Cibus Capital, Fund II, has bought a majority stake in a fruit genetics and stone fruit breeding company. Spain-headquartered PSB Produccion Vegetal specialises in breeding peaches, nectarines, apricots, and plums. It is looking to develop fruit varieties with better taste, disease resistance, and adaptability to climate change challenges such as low chill requirements and extended seasonality. Cibus said it could not confirm the value of the transaction.
Standard bearer – A Paris-headquartered bank and a US-based REDD+ marketing firm announced on Wednesday a $50 mln initiative for Indigenous- and traditional community-led Amazonian forest conservation projects – the first under a nascent standard. New York-headquartered Everland said it is convening the bond initiative with the support of BNP Paribas. The partners aim for the initiative to provide $50 mln in direct project financing to launch the first 20 community-led REDD+ forest conservation projects in the Amazon. (Carbon Pulse)
POLICY
A dangerous step – Canadian seabed mining firm The Metals Company (TMC) announced on Tuesday that it has applied to the US to get permission to mine a seabed area of the Pacific Ocean, Bloomberg has reported. The move comes after TMC last month said it had held constructive talks with US government officials and planned to apply via its US subsidiary for permits from the NOAA during Q2. On Friday, US President Donald Trump ordered the NOAA to expedite the process for reviewing and issuing seabed mining permits, seeking to set the nation up as a global leader even as scientists warn of potential disastrous consequences for the ocean.
SCIENCE & TECH
Shine a light – UV torches are an effective tool to monitor rare butterflies, the Guardian has reported. Butterfly Conservation and the Berks, Bucks & Oxon Wildlife Trust said they are training volunteers to use UV light to spot caterpillars in the dark. Traditionally, colonies were monitored by searching for tiny eggs on blackthorn twigs in winter, but now UV light reveals caterpillars at night through photoluminescence, making monitoring much easier, they said.
AI for parks – An initiative to help protect UK ecosystems, engage local communities, and support national parks using AI has been announced by mobile network provider Vodafone. In a three-year partnership with UK National Parks, the organisations will roll out AI-powered habitat mapping across 15 parks. The project aims to secure data on habitats and visitor impacts in less time than it would take to produce the information manually.
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