Presenting Biodiversity Pulse, Carbon Pulse’s free newsletter on the biodiversity market. It’s a twice-weekly summary of our news plus bite-sized updates from around the world. Subscribe here
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TOP STORY
EU biodiversity negotiator shares concerns on nature credits in meeting ahead of COP16
Nature markets took centre stage on Tuesday at the European Parliament’s environment (ENVI) committee meeting, with an EU biodiversity negotiator sharing concerns raised by some MEPs about the role of biodiversity credits in plugging the nature finance gap.
MARKET
New Forests plans to expand African biodiversity credit preparations
Global forest investor and management firm New Forests is preparing to expand its biodiversity credit baselining work in Sub-Saharan Africa, according to an company executive.
BUSINESS & FINANCE
US de-extinction firm raises $50 mln to launch wildlife protection nonprofit
A US-based biotechnology and genetic engineering firm has secured $50 million to launch a foundation with the aim of driving innovation in species protection, it announced Tuesday.
Nature is of major interest for sovereign investment, report finds
Nature is a significant topic for stakeholders in government-related investments, with its risks often overlooked by bond markets, consultants AXA Climate said in a report this week.
Food industry has highest biodiversity impacts in study of 2,300 companies
The food products industry has the largest biodiversity footprint, followed by oil, gas, and chemicals, said a study of the impacts of 2,369 companies published on Wednesday.
Investors ask US regulator to block JBS listing over environmental concerns
Eighteen investors managing $22 billion have co-signed a letter asking the US financial regulator to stop Brazilian meat giant JBS from listing in the US following concerns around transparency, human rights, and deforestation.
POLICY
Indonesia’s decision to reopen sea sand export will lead to blue carbon crisis, destroy marine ecosystems -think tank
The Indonesian government’s decision to reopen sea sand export is likely to plunge the Southeast Asian nation into a blue carbon crisis, and harm its marine biodiversity, a report released this week has warned.
SCIENCE & TECH
Study flags shortfalls in compensation for lost protected areas
Existing gaps in compensation for lost or downgraded protected areas (PAs) threaten to hamper the achievement of global biodiversity targets, according to a recent paper.
UK startup pioneers technology to advance plastic recycling
A UK-based startup has developed a method to break down waste plastics at the atomic level, which it said could support global efforts in advancing chemical recycling.
AI model predicts marine biodiversity hotspots in Mozambique’s unmapped areas
Researchers have identified previously-unmapped high marine biodiversity areas off the coast of Mozambique, paving the way for expanding the national network of marine protected areas (MPAs) and key biodiversity areas (KBAs).
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EVENTS
ecology calling returns to London in October. Bringing the city’s thriving nature and biodiversity business community together for series II, the intimate weekly evening events are held in the Linnean Society of London’s Meeting Room where Darwin presented ‘On the Origin of Species’. Panel discussions by leaders in the field provide plenty of room for audience Q&A with further networking opportunities at the nearby pub afterwards. This series topics include: navigating greenwashing, advances in MRV with eDNA, beaver reintroduction in Britain, and technical considerations for nature finance, with more TBA. Use the ‘pulse20’ code to secure your discount on tickets.
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BITE-SIZED UPDATES FROM AROUND THE WORLD
MARKET
BNG boost – Environment Bank is delivering biodiversity net gain (BNG), under English legislation, for logistics real estate developer Panattoni, it said in a press release on Thursday. The conservation company is helping Panattoni with a 200,000 sq ft development on a brownfield site in Crawley near Gatwick Airport. With local areas for habitat restoration scarce, and options for on-site biodiversity gains exhausted, an off-site solution has been finalised.
BUSINESS & FINANCE
Invest in women – The Australian government’s Investing in Women (IW) initiative has partnered with venture builder Terratai to enable the offering of long-term capital to early-stage, women-led nature-based solutions businesses across Indonesia, they announced in a press release on Thursday. Terratai will derisk investments by supporting the economic resilience of each transaction. “Terratai’s target market of nature-based companies allows women to become a part of the solution to the ever-growing climate crisis,” said IW.
POLICY
Pressures on EUDR – The European Commission is moving to postpone its regulation against deforestation by one year, in an attempt to please international partners who repeatedly expressed worries about the impacts of the law on supply chains, it announced on Wednesday. If approved by the European Parliament and Council of 27 EU states, the Regulation on Deforestation-free Products (EUDR) would now take effect on Dec. 30, 2025 for large companies and June 30, 2026 for micro- and small enterprises, the EU executive said in a statement. (Carbon Pulse)
Record budget – The Irish government has ringfenced €78 mln under the 2025 budget to support the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) as well as €40 mln to improve water quality across the country, up 25% and 13% from last year’s budget, respectively. The allocation includes €29 mln for protection and restoration efforts within national parks and reserves. “This budget comes at a critical time for nature with the introduction of the Nature Restoration Regulation, and will equip the NPWS with the resources to lead the preparations for a national Nature Restoration Plan,” said the government.
Plug the gap – The UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the Global Environment Facility (GEF) will assist Moldova in assessing and bridging the national financing gap on biodiversity. The initiative aims to improve understanding of the resources required for achieving Moldova’s biodiversity targets, integrate nature conservation into major economic sectors such as agriculture and tourism, and mobilise additional funding, UNDP said in a statement.
Conserving Dorset – In England, the Dorset Council has launched an initiative aimed at fostering nature protection across the county, the Dorset Eye reported. Dubbed Nature Recovery Dorset and funded by the Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (Defra), the project seeks to promote conservation and restoration activities implemented by residents, community groups, schools, farms, businesses, and landowners. These activities will then be mapped to identify protection gaps.
Liberian forests – The EU-funded project Leh Go Green, implemented by UNDP, has launched the Community Conservation Agreement (CCA), a forest management initiative developed in collaboration with the Forestry Development Authority. The project aims to involve local communities in managing their natural resources in exchange for their conservation efforts, including protecting forest areas from illegal logging. “The CCA is a key tool in aligning conservation with local development needs, ensuring the sustainable use of Liberia’s forest resources,” said UNDP.
SCIENCE & TECH
Drone monitoring – Forest data tool provider OpenForests has joined forces with drone data marketplace Globhe to enhance the monitoring of reforestation projects. The partnership will enable OpenForest to integrate drone data into its platform explorer.land, which aims to connect project developers with investors, and improve transparency, Globhe said in a statement.
High-resolution data – US-based tech firm Planet launched this week Project Centinela, an initiative aimed at helping scientists monitor and safeguard up to 50 of the world’s vulnerable biodiversity hotspots. It will provide experts with high-resolution data, high-frequency satellite imagery, and analytic feeds. Project Centinela has already engaged teams in eight biodiversity-vulnerable locations across Latin America, Africa, and Asia.
Oyster empire – Oysters once formed vast reefs along much of Europe’s coastline, covering at least 1.7 mln ha, an area larger than Northern Ireland, before being destroyed mainly due to overexploitation, according to a recent paper. The study, based on documents from the 18th and 19th centuries, and led by researchers at the University of Exeter and the University of Edinburgh, was published in the journal Nature Sustainability. “This unique empirical record demonstrates the highly degraded nature of European seas and provides key baseline context for international restoration commitments,” said the study.
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