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TOP STORY
Croatia weighs nature credits, moves forward with carbon farming
Croatia is backing a study to assess the potential for establishing a scheme for nature credits in the country, according to a document submitted to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).
ASIA PACIFIC
Australian govt looks to adjust IFLM ACCU method in response to criticism
The Australian government has provided an update on its work on the long-awaited integrated farm land management (IFLM) method, as it pushes to present a final version to the market’s integrity body by the end of the year.
Singapore to advance into second phase of state‑run Article 6 procurement
Singapore plans to issue a call for project proposals for Article 6 compliant credits in the coming weeks, as the first stage of supplier pre-qualification under its second major request for proposals (RFP) wrapped up earlier this month.
Carbon revenues insufficient for Southeast Asian blue carbon projects, says OECD
Carbon revenues alone may not be enough to make many blue carbon projects in Southeast Asia financially viable or bridge the region’s massive $2.1 trillion blue economy financing gap, according to a new OECD report.
Japanese power company invests A$25 mln in ACCU fund
One of Japan’s largest power generators has invested A$25 million ($17.5 mln) in a nature-based carbon fund in Australia.
EMEA
BRIEFING: African financing facility must support community participation in nature markets
A proposed African financing facility should help communities engage with nature markets on fair terms to avoid reinforcing colonial-era power structures, a non-profit executive told a consultation.
Asset manager inks inaugural natural capital deal as it eyes BNG, carbon markets
A global asset management firm has made its first natural capital investment, acquiring a property in England set to generate biodiversity net gain (BNG) units and, potentially, carbon credits.
Biochar “must be part of the solution” for EU ETS carbon removals, lead MEP says
Biochar should be considered for supplying permanent CO2 removals to the EU’s Emissions Trading System (ETS), according to the lead European Parliament negotiator on the market’s reform, who suggested introducing “safety margins” and “limitations” to address environmental integrity concerns.
AMERICAS
Mexico, multilateral bank launch fund to conserve natural capital
Mexico and a multilateral development bank have launched a fund aimed at protecting the country’s natural capital.
Conservationists ask court to block Texas public land transfer
Conservationists have filed a federal injunction to halt the transfer of US public wildlife refuge lands to SpaceX amid an ongoing court battle.
US solar sites reap what they mow for biodiversity -research
Differences in mowing practices shaped biodiversity at two beehive-equipped solar panel sites in New York State, highlighting the need for targeted land management, research has suggested.
INTERNATIONAL
Investor group to consult on nature finance “translation” tool
A consultation on creating a “translation layer” tool that aims to help investors understand all types of nature investment is due to launch later this year, a UK-based institutional investor group said on Wednesday.
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BITE-SIZED UPDATES FROM AROUND THE WORLD
INTERNATIONAL
Blue economy – Over 1.6 mln ha of coastal ecosystems have been protected under a joint EU-Indonesia marine conservation programme, according to RRI. The initiative combined biodiversity conservation with sustainable economic opportunities, and has reportedly helped improve the livelihoods of thousands of people in North Sulawesi and North Maluku. The programme is implemented in partnership with Indonesia’s Ministry of Forestry through the Directorate General of Natural Resources and Ecosystem Conservation. It is funded by the EU through Germany’s Development Bank and carried out with the Wildlife Conservation Society Indonesia.
Fake – AI-enhanced bird photographs could undermine the reliability of biodiversity databases with false species records, a correspondence has said. Even small edits can change a bird’s identifying features, leading to incorrect species identification, reported Pttl, based on a document published by Nature Ecology & Evolution last week. The authors urged citizen science platforms to strengthen their AI image detection systems, as their content can help scientists track conservation trends.
R&D funding – The Dutch Research Agenda and Brazil’s National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) have awarded funding to four research consortia developing solutions to protect biodiversity while supporting agricultural production in Brazil’s Cerrado. Among them is a project led by Utrecht University that will examine sustainable land-use strategies for the rapidly changing Matopiba region.
EMEA
DRC forests – More than 660 sq. km. of forest have been legally secured for local communities in North Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), according to Rainforest Foundation Norway. The DRC government has granted six new Local Community Forest Concessions and reinstated a previously awarded community forest title in the province. The foundation said the move would strengthen the rights of local forest communities while improving protection of forests from logging, mining, and other pressures.
Nature accounting – Uganda has launched five policy briefs on Natural Capital Accounts designed to integrate the value of forests, wetlands, water, land, and energy systems into national economic planning. The developer of these documents, Makerere University’s Centre of Excellence for Africa Climate-Sensitive Macroeconomic Modelling, recently said that the briefs address sustainable land use, energy transition, water accounting, and ecosystem valuation.
Natural languages – Researchers are set to meet in Libreville, Gabon, for a programme exploring the link between conservation and language. From July 27 to Aug. 8, 40 researchers from 11 states in Central Africa will alternate academic courses and fieldwork in the Congo Basin. The initiative aims to defend a thesis that ecological knowledge relies on threatened local languages, reported Gabon Review. Organisers include a UNESCO network focused on Bantu languages.
On the mark – Agreena’s soil carbon programme (VCS4022) has received a ‘BBB’ ex-post BeZero Carbon rating following the issuance of credits in Sep. 2025 under Verra’s standard. The ex-post rating is unchanged from the project’s ‘BBB’ ex-ante rating assigned in Feb. 2025, indicating that the project’s performance has been broadly consistent with earlier expectations, the developer said.
Marine pollution – A Spanish research consortium has launched the OCEANZYME project to develop enzymatic recycling technologies for marine plastic waste unsuitable for conventional mechanical recycling, Plastics News reported. Running from 2026 to 2028, the initiative will collect and analyse marine litter from Spain’s North Atlantic and Levantine-Balearic waters, with researchers identifying bacteria and enzymes capable of breaking down degraded plastics and supporting more sustainable recycling methods.
Green legacy initiative – The Executive Secretary of the UN CBD, Astrid Schomaker, has praised Ethiopia’s Green Legacy Initiative and wider conservation efforts, describing them as a model for large-scale ecosystem restoration and biodiversity protection. Speaking during the 60th anniversary of the Ethiopian Wildlife Conservation Authority (EWCA), Schomaker said the country’s work is helping to advance the goals of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework while supporting sustainable development. (Fana MC)
Mining water risk – International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM) reported nearly two-thirds of mining and metals facilities worldwide are located in areas facing significant water risk. The Global Mining and Metals Water Dataset and report highlighted the need for coordinated integrated land and water use planning at regional scales as demand grows for materials for clean energy systems. Some facilities faced chronic competition for water; others face drought, flooding, or unpredictable annual supply. In some regions and supply chains, these risks overlap, creating vulnerabilities that must be addressed through water stewardship and coordinated action across governments, industry, investors and the companies that use these materials, said ICMM.
ASIA PACIFIC
Sand – Activists have claimed that Cambodia has resumed sea sand exports to Singapore, following a scandal involving environmental degradation along its rivers linked to the practice, reported Mongabay. Mother Nature Cambodia showed sand dredgers in waterways in Koh Kong province in southwest of Cambodia in a video. Exports of sand, used by Singapore for land reclamation, were banned in 2017 following the exposure of a gap in reporting figures.
AMERICAS
Indigenous land rights – The Rights and Resources Initiative (RRI) announced on Tuesday that it will expand its partnership with Canadian institutions and Indigenous Peoples by establishing a Canadian entity for the Community Land Rights and Conservation Finance Initiative (CLARIFI), its rights-holder-led funding mechanism. Focused on securing land and resource rights, CLARIFI improves access to global climate and conservation finance from major public and private funders for Indigenous, Afro-descendant, and local communities stewarding some of the world’s most biodiverse and environmentally significant ecosystems across Asia, Latin America and Africa. (CityBiz)
Rural funding – The Rockefeller Foundation has committed $4 mln to real assets manager Alder Point Capital to support the acquisition and restoration of under-managed US farmland and timberland, with the goal of improving environmental outcomes and rural economic prosperity. The investment will help fund regenerative land management practices – such as improving soil health, water systems, and forest management – by partnering with local farmers, foresters, and rural businesses to improve livelihoods and create long term economic opportunities.
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