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TOP STORY
BRIEFING: Australia’s Nature Repair Market gearing up, but what comes next?
Australia’s pioneering Nature Repair Market (NRM) is set to open in early 2025, but the scheme is unlikely to see a rush of participants, experts say.
MARKET
WRI calls for biodiversity markets to fund conservation
Stronger biodiversity-related markets are needed to help drive financing towards nature, as carbon markets are falling short of expectations, the head of the World Resources Institute (WRI) has said.
BUSINESS & FINANCE
Financial alliance pauses nature transition work
The influential Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (GFANZ) is pausing its work on nature in net-zero transition planning to focus on fundraising, it has said.
85% of asset owners take steps to integrate biodiversity into sustainability strategies -report
Around 65% of surveyed asset owners and managers worldwide have incorporated nature and biodiversity into their sustainability strategies, while a further 20% plan to do so, according to a report released last week.
Liechtenstein private bank, UK analytics firm partner to enhance biodiversity risk assessment
A Liechtenstein-headquartered private bank and asset manager has teamed up with a UK-based nature analytics company to better assess how its investments impact biodiversity.
POLICY
EU, China launch biodiversity monitoring initiative
The EU and China have launched a four-year project aimed at improving biodiversity and climate monitoring by combining artificial intelligence (AI) with ground and remote sensing data.
Australian govt defers nature positive bills until after election
The Australian government has deferred legislation to establish federal environmental protection and information-gathering agencies until after the upcoming election, local media reported.
UK govt launches consultation on land use framework
The UK government launched on Friday a public consultation on a framework aimed at enhancing decision-making on land use across the country, with potential implications for the emerging nature markets.
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BITE-SIZED UPDATES FROM AROUND THE WORLD
MARKET
Reforestation – Toy producer Lego Group will collaborate with a carbon markets investor on a reforestation project in the US to remove over 500,000 tonnes of CO2 per year, the company announced on Tuesday. The project, facilitated by Climate Impact Partners and developed by the GreenTrees platform, spans over 400,000 ha in the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley, according to a press release. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. (Carbon Pulse)
BUSINESS & FINANCE
Bitcoins for nature – Rainforest Foundation US (RFUS) launched on Thursday the Treasury for the Trees initiative, a bitcoin-based fund aimed at securing long-term financing for rainforest protection in Central and South America. The goal is to raise 100 bitcoins, RFUS said, adding that the foundation may strategically liquidate some of them to fund urgent operational needs, “such as responding to immediate threats facing Indigenous communities and their lands”.
Canadian wetlands protected – The Escarpment Biosphere Conservancy (EBC), a Canadian charity aimed at preserving nature, and Ducks Unlimited Canada, the country’s largest land conservancy, have banded together to create 94-ha Benallen Wetland Nature Preserve in Ontario. The area includes 55 ha of wetlands and 39 ha of hardwood forests. To date, EBC has protected over 10,117 ha of natural habitats, providing critical refuge for numerous species at risk. Ducks Unlimited also partnered with the Northumberland Land Trust to acquire 123 ha to establish the Biddy Creed Wetland Nature Reserve – also in Ontario. Up to 70% of wetlands in the south of the province have been destroyed or degraded, with as much as 95% lost in densely populated areas, according to a release.
POLICY
Longer, smarter talks – The UN is considering holding the resuming session of the fifth global plastics treaty negotiations (INC-5.2) in Geneva, Switzerland, in July. According to a document recently released by UNEP, discussions are still ongoing, but “the possibility of holding INC-5.2 in Geneva in mid-July is being explored”. The INC-5.2 session is now expected to last 10-14 days, rather than the 5-7 days typical of previous sessions. “Based on the lessons learned throughout the process, the need for a session longer than one week [is being] emphasised,” UN said.
Corridors – Parks Canada announced last week that it is providing over C$1.3 mln (over $900,000) in funding from its national programme for ecological corridors to two environmental non-profit organisations to lead corridor projects in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. The non-profits will collaborate with municipal governments, landowners, and Indigenous groups to advance conservation planning and Indigenous stewardship in both provinces. Last year, Parks Canada announced its commitment to allocate $6 mln in funding to ecological corridor projects across the country.
Chemical recycling – The EU Commission has approved a €500 mln French scheme to support chemical recycling of plastic waste. Funds will be delivered through grants covering up to 40% of the eligible costs of projects, according to the Commission. “The French scheme … will contribute to the EU’s objective of reaching climate neutrality by 2050, by promoting the use of existing resources through efficiency and circular economy practices,” said Teresa Ribera, the European Commission’s first executive vice-president.
SCIENCE & TECH
Wetland map – The Wet Horizons initiative, ALFAwetlands, the Building a European Peatlands Alliance, and the Greifswald Mire Centre have launched the most up-to-date European Wetland Map. Combining over 200 geodata sources, the map will support the assessment of Europe’s wetlands and help policymakers make science-based decisions. “This standardised dataset makes widespread European wetlands visible and enhances their analysis, understanding, and management,” said Cosima Tegetmeyer of Greifswald Mire Centre, one of the map’s developers.
Neglected species – A call-to-action to use neglected species of crops as a way of promoting agrobiodiversity, food security, and climate resilience has been launched by global partnership CGIAR’s Nature-Positive Solutions Initiative (Nature+). The group focused on community-driven interventions on the topic across Kenya, Burkina Faso, Colombia, Vietnam, and India between 2022 and 2024, Nature+ said in a report. Some neglected species have largely been overlooked in mainstream agriculture, but they can possess significant potential for nature, it said.
Call for studies – The European Space Agency (ESA) has issued a call for studies to advance research on biodiversity and climate change. Proposals should focus on topics such as the role of biodiversity in carbon storage and climate regulation, the impacts of climate change on ecosystems, and integrating Earth observation data and models to support decision-making, ESA said. Findings from funded studies are set to inform assessments by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services.
Froglets – 33 small frogs have been born at London Zoo following efforts to stop the species from becoming extinct, the Zoological Society of London has said. The birth of the young Darwin’s froglets at London Zoo faced a lethal threat from a deadly fungus in their native habitat in an island off Chile. Monitored populations of the species had declined in by 90% within a year, due to a fungus-triggered disease which has now affected at least 500 amphibian species – making it the most devastating ailment of its kind.
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