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TOP STORY
PREVIEW: Nairobi talks set stage for first global stocktake of biodiversity agreement ahead of COP17
Country delegates on Monday opened two weeks of negotiations in Kenya to review progress on the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), setting the stage for key decisions at this year’s COP17 summit.
EMEA
African Union to create blue economy financing mechanisms by 2027
The African Union’s 55 member states have adopted a declaration aimed at implementing the continent’s blue economy agenda by 2027, including a pledge to establish biodiversity credits among other innovative financing mechanisms.
Europe’s wildfires could justify triggering LULUCF ’emergency brake’
This year’s wildfire season in Europe is already exceeding previous record trends, officials have warned, potentially opening the door for affected EU member states to activate a safety valve that eases their carbon sink obligations under the bloc’s regulation on land use, land use change, and forestry (LULUCF).
French CDR group calls for roadmap to deliver 22 mln tonnes of removals by 2050
France should develop a dedicated carbon removal (CDR) roadmap and introduce measures to stimulate demand if it is to deliver the roughly 22 million tonnes of CO2 of annual technological removals envisaged under its newly adopted low-carbon strategy, an industry association has said.
DRC’s flagship green corridor mostly overlaps with oil blocks, mining concessions -Greenpeace
The Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) flagship conservation initiative largely overlaps with oil blocks and mining concessions, according to a Greenpeace Africa policy briefing, which calls for the area to be declared a “No-Go Zone” for new extractive activities.
AMERICAS
BRIEFING: Environmental researchers, advocacy groups back challenges to Apple carbon neutrality lawsuit
A coalition of carbon market researchers and several environmental groups separately filed to support the reversal of a US federal judge’s dismissal of a class action lawsuit, which claimed Apple consumers were misled by carbon neutral marketing.
Wildfires are burning California compliance offset projects, research group warns
Wildfires currently burning in two forest offset projects, eligible for compliance under California’s Cap-and-Invest programme, are expected to incur more losses in the coming days, a carbon market research group warned Friday.
ASIA PACIFIC
NZ Green Party seeks to remove forestry from the ETS, phase out free allocation, policy manifesto says
New Zealand’s Green Party over the weekend published its latest climate change policies, hinting that forestry offsetting will be phased out of the ETS, as well as an end to free industrial allocation, while also putting a price on agricultural emissions.
Victorian water corporations seek 700k ACCUs, as engineering firm opens call for tenders
An engineering and advisory firm has opened a Request for Proposal (RFP) on behalf of a collection of water corporations, seeking Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs), it announced.
Intergovernmental mangrove conservation centre starts operations in China
The world’s first centre dedicated to intergovernmental mangrove conservation formally began operations this week, with officials announcing the move in a major city in southeastern China.
Asian nations scale up mangrove commitments, unveil global initiatives
The International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem, observed annually on July 26, saw Asian nations announce new commitments to coastal restoration and highlight ongoing efforts to protect the vital coastal forests.
Nepal approves human-wildlife coexistence insurance
Nepal has approved a human-wildlife coexistence insurance product that offers communities living alongside wildlife payouts for losses and damage.
INTERNATIONAL
Deep-sea exploration contract extension sparks concerns at ISA meeting
The International Seabed Authority (ISA) Council has extended a deep-sea mineral exploration contract for a major company, prompting concerns from observers about the implications of the decision.
Biochar study aims to bridge permanence methods, models 99% carbon retention after 1,000 years
A new study has linked biological and thermochemical methods for assessing biochar permanence, estimating that an inertinite-rich biochar could retain 99% of its carbon after a millennium under a conservative modelling scenario.
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BITE-SIZED UPDATES FROM AROUND THE WORLD
EMEA
Get on with it – The EU’s environment chief has urged member states to submit draft plans on national nature restoration by the Sep. 1 due date, ENDS Europe reported. Commissioner Jessika Roswall has sent a letter to the 27 EU member states, reminding environment ministers of the looming deadline to file their National Restoration Plans as required under the bloc’s Nature Restoration Law (NRL). Roswall reportedly acknowledged the challenges countries face in drafting these plans, but emphasised the importance of sticking to the September deadline. Under the NRL, member states must restore at least 30% of habitat types mentioned in the bill, covering 20% of their land and sea by 2030, expanding to all ecosystems considered in need of restoration by 2050. Non-profits have warned national NRL efforts have so far been mixed.
DRC-France forest pact – The DRC and France have signed an MoU launching the Zero Deforestation and Degradation for Development programme, which will support forest preservation and sustainable local development through pilot projects financed and managed by the French Development Agency. The DRC will select the intervention area, with the programme focused on ecosystem-service payments, governance, transparency, and scientific monitoring.
Planting mangroves – During the International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem in Saudi Arabia, the Madinah governor launched the Al-Rais Mangrove Afforestation Project. Under the initiative, the National Centre for Vegetation Cover Development and Combating Desertification will plant 1 mln mangrove seedlings along the region’s coastline, Arab News reported.
More mangroves – Kenya plans to embed mangrove conservation into its national development strategy, a government official announced on Sunday. Healthy coastal forests are essential to Kenya’s economic growth, the country’s environment cabinet secretary Deborah Barasa told an event to celebrate International Mangrove Day. The announcement followed a two-day forum, assessing the implementation of Kenya’s 2017-27 National Mangrove Ecosystem Management Plan, The Eastleigh Voice reported.
Even more mangroves – Key outcomes of the Ecosystem-Based Disaster Risk Reduction project in the Zambezi Delta, Mozambique have been revealed by the French Development Agency on LinkedIn. Key achievements of the project include 176 ha of mangroves restored in 2023-24, 600 people trained, and 381 improved cookstoves sold. The initiative – co-implemented with WWF Mozambique, and the Red Cross – demonstrated how empowering people can make a pathway to a more resilient future, said the agency.
Tanzanian mountains – An initiative to restore ecosystems in the Usambara Mountains, northeastern Tanzania has been launched by IUCN Tanzania, in partnership with the OCP Foundation. The three-year project aims to protect biodiversity, improve livelihoods, and promote sustainable management of natural resources, reported Funds for NGOs. It will focus on improving land management practices, climate-resilient agriculture, and community participation in conservation.
AMERICAS
Guatemalan biodiversity summit – Guatemala hosted the first in-person meeting of the reactivated Ibero-American Network of Biodiversity Directors (IberBio) in Antigua last Thursday, bringing together environmental leaders from across the region to strengthen cooperation on biodiversity conservation and ecosystem restoration. Supported by the EU’s Euroclima programme and the Foundation for the Internationalisation of Public Administrations, participants approved a governance framework plan for 2025-27, discussed integrating ecological restoration into national biodiversity strategies, climate policies, and financing mechanisms, and prioritised cooperation on restoring terrestrial, freshwater, and marine ecosystems.
The trees aren’t alright – California’s wildfires are destroying forests faster than crews can replant them, CalMatters reported. Over the past 25 years, high-severity wildfires have burned 2.3 mln acres (930,800 ha) of California forestland so completely that trees are unlikely to return without help, according to a working draft of the state’s new reforestation strategy obtained by CalMatters. A Feb. 2025 analysis led by NGO American Forests found half the state’s forest area could disappear by 2071. To meet its existing post-fire replanting targets, the state would need to scale up reforestation by 35% a year, which can cost up to $6,400 an acre, the draft strategy said. Land managers have replanted about 254,000 acres since 2020, or roughly 16% of the area stripped by high-severity fire between 2020-24, and just 8% on federal land outside wilderness areas.
Alabama forest lawsuit – The Center for Biological Diversity and the Alabama Ornithological Society have filed a legal appeal to block the US government’s plan to permit oil and gas drilling across Alabama’s Conecuh National Forest, arguing that federal agencies failed to complete sufficient assessments of environmental and public health impacts. Threatening to open up over 33,000 ha of protected forest to oil and gas drilling, the appeal asked the Interior Board of Land Appeals to halt the planned lease sales and require a new environmental review, warning that drilling project would threaten one of the most biodiverse forests in the country and risk polluting vital waterways and disrupt predetermined prescribed burn areas.
Wastewater OAE study – US-based non-profit Carbon to Sea Initiative has awarded $225,000 to a research consortium to assess whether OAE can be integrated into municipal wastewater treatment systems to improve water quality, reduce GHG emissions, and support durable CO2 removal. Led by the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, the project will examine technical feasibility, costs, climate impacts, and policy considerations, with a final report to include modelling, lifecycle analysis, and five global case studies.
Ecuador wildlife corridor – Ecuador has announced the creation of a new 173,000 ha conservation corridor last Friday, linking three protected areas in the Amazon in an effort to reconnect rainforest habitats fragmented by deforestation, oil development, and expanding agriculture. The Yasuni-Limoncocha-Cuyabeno Corridor will provide critical migration routes for endangered species while supporting sustainable land use led by Indigenous communities. The plan is supported by Conservation International, WWF, and the Global Environment Facility.
ASIA PACIFIC
Single-celled CCUS – A subsidiary of Indonesia’s state-owned energy company, PT Pertamina, has successfully used microalgae to absorb carbon at a major oil and gas facility, Dunia Energi reported on Friday. PT Patra Drilling Contractor’s (PDC) trial serves as technological validation and provides data that will be used to develop a photobioreactor system. The microalgae converts carbon into a biomass material, which not only reduces carbon emissions but also creates a product with the potential to be used as a soil enhancer. PDC said that it is ready to act as a strategic partner to implement PT Pertamina’s carbon credit programme, local media reported.
INTERNATIONAL
Cross-border – Environmental organisations from Czechia and Germany have launched an initiative to strengthen cross-border conservation efforts, with the programme aiming to establish at least 10 new Czech-Saxon partnerships for nature protection and restoration by the end of 2028, Around Prague reported. The project seeks to build a network of environmental organisations from both regions to support joint work, share expertise, and develop collaborative events.
Slippery cabbage – A team of scientists is calling for a global effort to conserve vegetable biodiversity, warning that modern food systems are becoming increasingly dependent on just a few crops. The spider plant in Africa, bitter gourd in Asia, and slippery cabbage in the Pacific are examples of overlooked vegetables, said the study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. More diverse varieties have characteristics that can be used to develop vegetables better able to withstand heat, drought, and pests, said the report.
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