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TOP STORY
INTERVIEW: Swedish biodiversity company eyes collaboration with EU on nature markets
A Swedish company plans to collaborate with European institutions to help shape an EU-level nature market, with its biodiversity credit methodology among those that could be used under the scheme, its CEO told Carbon Pulse.
BUSINESS & FINANCE
US foundation to invest $500k to support TNFD expansion
A major US philanthropic foundation is throwing its support behind the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) with $500,000 in grants, it announced Wednesday.
Price nature into the economic system, bank exec urges
Nature needs to be priced into the economic system so its protection can be prioritised, as change is not happening fast enough, an executive at Deutsche Bank has said.
Crown Estate to deliver £20 mln to sustainable farming
The UK natural asset manager Crown Estate has announced £20 million ($25 mln) in funding to support farmers in enhancing nature recovery as part of its broader biodiversity strategy.
TOOLS & GUIDANCE
BNP Paribas recommends rare species metrics
France-based bank BNP Paribas has recommended two metrics for assessing the impacts of human activity on rare species, in a bid to get a more complete picture of biodiversity.
POLICY
UK plans to stop multiple nature-related legal challenges to development
The UK government plans to reduce the number of biodiversity-related legal challenges allowed for major infrastructure projects from three to one.
SCIENCE & TECH
Burned areas in Brazil increase 79% in 2024, majority in the Amazon biome -monitor
More than 30.8 million hectares burned in Brazil last year, a 79% increase year-on-year (YoY) and the largest such figure since 2019, with most of this fire damage taking place in the Amazon biome, a monitor group said Wednesday.
WWF sounds alarm over threats to old forests in Sweden, Finland
Finland and Sweden are failing to protect their primary and old-growth forests, which are increasingly threatened by budget cuts and logging activities, according to a WWF report.
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BITE-SIZED UPDATES FROM AROUND THE WORLD
MARKET
Forest reserve – The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) will create a protected area the size of France to protect its tropical rainforest, which will include raising finance via carbon markets, the country announced in Davos Wednesday. According to a statement at the World Economic Forum (WEF)’s annual summit, the DRC will create a massive reserve to protect the Congo Basin, the largest tropical forest carbon sink in the world, which is threatened by war, poverty, and the climate crisis. (Carbon Pulse)
BUSINESS & FINANCE
TNFD sector guidance – The Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) released on Thursday a second tranche of sector guidance to support the assessment, management, and disclosure of nature-related issues. Sectors include apparel, accessories and footwear, beverages, construction materials, engineering, and construction and real estate. The taskforce also released a draft guidance for consultation covering fishing, marine transportation and cruise lines, and water utilities and services. Feedback is due by Apr. 4.
Coca-Cola – UNDP and the Coca-Cola Foundation have partnered to help address the growing challenge of plastic waste management in Asia. The three-year multi-country programme, launched in India on Thursday, aims to inspire policy changes, supported by a $15 mln grant from the foundation. They are scaling up efforts in nine Asian countries – Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, India, Maldives, Nepal, Philippines, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam.
Vermont’s biodiversity – The Nature Conservancy (TNC) announced this week the creation of the Vermont Biodiversity Protection Fund, aimed at supporting conservation efforts in the state of Vermont, US. The fund will deliver up to $1 mln in grant funding this year, with a maximum of $100,000 available for each project. By launching the fund, TNC said it seeks to help the state achieve the goal of protecting 30% of its territory by 2030 and 50% by 2050.
POLICY
Great Barrier Reef – The Australian government has ringfenced A$4.9 mln ($3.1 mln) to finance projects aimed at protecting the Great Barrier Reef. Delivered through the Community Stewardship Programme, the funding will initially support three projects led by OzFish Unlimited, the Great Barrier Reef Foundation, and Reef Catchments. These initiatives will focus on restoring oyster reefs and mangroves, improving key coastal habitats on Yunbenun-Magnetic Island, and enhancing the health and resilience of seagrass within the Great Barrier Reef. Funding for the second round of the programme will become available from 2026-27, said the government.
Sandeel relations – The UK and the EU are set for a legal confrontation over the UK’s ban on sandeel fishing. The case, the first arbitration under the post-Brexit trade agreement, is due to take place from Jan. 28-30 in The Hague, reported the Fishing Daily. The outcome could have far-reaching implications for trade relations. A campaign by conservationists concerned about declining seabird populations preceded the ban.
SCIENCE & TECH
Selfies with dingoes – The government of Queensland, Australia, risks wrecking K’gari island by refusing to cap visitors, according to the island’s traditional owners. The area receives hundreds of thousands of visitors a year, a number that is increasing, leading to ecological impacts, reported the Guardian. Several dingoes have been destroyed in recent years after becoming habituated to human contact, and then attacking people. Park rangers have blamed tourists taking selfies with the animals.
PFAS – Over 90 European organisations sent an open letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday, urging her to ban PFAS, commonly referred to as ‘forever chemicals’. This appeal follows an investigation by the Forever Lobbying Project, which revealed ongoing lobbying activities by the PFAS industry and its allies aimed at weakening the EU’s proposal to restrict these chemicals. Environmentalists described PFAS pollution as one the most serious pollution crisis humanity has ever faced.
Back home – Last year in Costa Rica, over 36,000 seashells were returned to their natural habitat following the launch of an initiative involving the Ministry of Environment and Energy, the food and beverage company FIFCO, the airport management company AERIS, and the University of Costa Rica. This project aims to reintegrate the seashells into their ocean habitats by using an AI-powered tool to identify their origins. On average, Costa Rican airports confiscate six tonnes of seashells taken by tourists each year
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