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TOP STORY
EU Commission launches roadmap for building nature markets
The European Commission on Monday unveiled its roadmap for nature credits, outlining actions through 2027 to build and scale an EU-wide market for the conservation and restoration of biodiversity.
NATURE & BIODIVERSITY MARKET
INTERVIEW: Carbon will provide the spine of UK nature markets
Carbon benefits are likely to provide the core structure for the development of UK nature markets across areas including biodiversity and water, according to an executive at the UK Woodland Carbon Code.
Australia eyes three more Nature Repair Market methods
Australia is working to add three further methods to its voluntary Nature Repair Market (NRM), which allows project developers to earn biodiversity certificates.
BioCarbon Standard launches two nature-based credits methodologies for public consultation
BioCarbon Standard, the Colombia-based nature certification standard, published this week methodologies for water credits, improved forest management, and avoided planned forest conversion.
INTERVIEW: Biodiversity credit programme in New Zealand plans to go international in two years
A New Zealand-based forestry company plans to expand its biodiversity credit programme globally within the next two years, as it expects the market to gain momentum despite ongoing uncertainty around corporate demand.
Biodiversity credits emerging as “powerful financial tool”, paper says
Biodiversity credits have significant potential for tackling the nature crisis while aligning with global sustainability goals, according to a paper released this week.
NATURE-BASED CARBON
With highest deforestation rate in Brazil, Pantanal has potential for 16.5 mln carbon credits yearly -report
Brazil’s Pantanal wetlands have the capacity to generate 15.8 million REDD+ and 738,000 afforestation, reforestation and revegetation (ARR) carbon credits annually, according to a report published Thursday.
Japanese agricultural lender teams up with NGO to develop carbon credits, biodiversity loans
A major agricultural lender in Japan has teamed up with a non-profit to explore carbon crediting mechanisms and biodiversity loans, as they seek to help decarbonising the country’s agricultural sector.
Amazon has the potential to generate more than 1.3 bln carbon credits annually –report
The world’s largest rainforest, Amazon, has the potential to generate 1.3 billion REDD+ and 49.1 million afforestation, reforestation and revegetation (ARR) carbon credits annually, according to a report published on Friday.
POLICY
Tanzania eyes carbon, biodiversity markets to mobilise $1.5 bln under updated NBSAP
Tanzania has released its updated National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP), aiming to mobilise $1.5 billion in nature finance over the next five years.
Momentum builds for Brazil’s tropical forest funding facility at BRICS summit
China has signalled it will support Brazil’s Tropical Forests Forever Facility (TFFF), a funding mechanism to fight deforestation, on the sidelines of the 17th BRICS summit, held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Chile structures roadmap to decarbonise energy demand, voluntary environmental certification
Chile’s government announced last week the launch of a four-year initiative aimed at accelerating the country’s transition to a net-zero, nature-positive economy.
NGOs call on COP30 Presidency to promote creation of $125 bln conservation programme
Civil society organisations urged Brazil to spearhead a global pact to mobilise $125 billion in large-scale, long-term finance to address one of the world’s most critical climate tipping points, in a joint letter delivered Friday.
BRIEFING: Future of Mongolian $200-mln conservation scheme rests with new environment minister
A Mongolian company will present a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to the country’s new minister of environment and climate change on Saturday, seeking their approval for a results-based budgeting approach to conservation.
Japan to launch world’s deepest sea mining exploration next year
Japan will start extracting rare earths from the ocean floor next January, in what is set to be the world’s deepest mining test to date.
SCIENCE & TECH
Standards body introduces laser tech into MRV for trees
A Paris-based standards body is upgrading its methodology to include laser-guided technology to monitor and verify trees in three dimensions, as it steps up its rivalry with Verra.
Addressing river pollution could enhance carbon storage potential, scientists find
A method of removing pollution from rivers was found to boost the population of an aquatic microorganism that uptakes CO2, according to research published by Asia-based scientists.
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BITE-SIZED UPDATES FROM AROUND THE WORLD
PROJECTS
Trees please – A South Korean petroleum and energy company has shared it will develop another mangrove restoration project in the Asia Pacific region. SK Innovation signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Vietnam’s Tra Vinh Province and a local social enterprise, MangLub, confirming their intention to restore 300 ha of mangrove forest by 2030. The MoU has created a non-binding agreement that SK Innovation will secure land for the project, officially launched in the province during May 2025.
Money for the Med – NGOs have announced a series of small grants for projects conserving coastal habitats or threatened plant species in the Mediterranean Basin. BirdLife International and Birdlife Slovenia (DOPPS) have made $600,000 available to initiatives “making a tangible difference” in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cabo Verde, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Montenegro, Morocco, North Macedonia, Palestine, and Tunisia. Each project can apply for between $15,000 and $40,000, if their operations will start by Nov. 2025 and wrap by the end of Aug. 2027. The deadline to apply is Aug. 1.
POLICY
Pacific biodiversity – Pacific leaders, from 15 island nations, launched the Pacific Biodiversity Finance Umbrella Programme, in Fiji this week. The initiative, designed to boost biodiversity across the region, officially kicked off during a four-day workshop of training, planning, and peer-learning, attended by Papua New Guinea, Niue, Nauru, Vanuatu, Samoa, and more. The programme is funded by the GEF.
Cash granted – The Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) said it is supporting Bangladesh’s biodiversity and climate plans with a SEK 5 mln (€444,212). The grant will fund work on Bangladesh’s 2023-2050 National Adaptation Plan, specifically providing monitoring tools to track pollutants in the Buriganga and Turag rivers. Bangladesh also plans to use the grant to establish a Wildlife Trust Fund and to restore and conserve mangroves, sand dunes, and olive ridley turtles on the country’s southerly Sonadia Island.
Biodiversity net change – The UK government fixed issues and made changes to the statutory biodiversity net gain (BNG) metrics tools and guidance documents, the Department for Environment, Agriculture, and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) announced. The update provided extra information about calculating credits, added a section on green roofs and walls, and clarified the definitions of commercial buildings, private gardens, canals, and ditches. These changes do not impact biodiversity unit outputs and live projects can keep using older versions of the tools and guidance. However, these changes will be reconsidered after the government shares the outcomes of its currently ongoing BNG consultation.
Farmer funds – A grant for UK farmers, offering cash for nature projects, is reopening. This new rendition of the Capital Grants offer is valued at £150 mln, Environment Secretary Steve Reed confirmed at a farming conference. The grant can be used for tree planting, hedgerow management, and to boost soil health, as well as for more traditional agricultural uses such as slurry pits and water filtration systems. The previous round of the Capital Grants offer funded the planting of about 4,000 miles of hedgerows, according to DEFRA.
Corridor – A newly approved grant from the GEF will finance a restoration project in Rwanda’s Southern Province. The initiative, led by Conservation International and backed by $9 mln in funding, will focus on integrated landscape restoration and climate-smart land management across the Nyungwe-Ruhango corridor. The project aims to make degraded lands and ecosystems thrive, while also promoting private sector engagement and south-south exchange among participating countries, the World Bank said on its website on Thursday.
Done deal – The Governments of Bangladesh and Sweden signed a grant agreement on Thursday to support a new project aimed at strengthening Dhaka’s capacity for natural resource management and climate resilience. Under the agreement, Sweden committed approximately $500,000 to fund the project, which will run from July 2025 to December 2026. The initiative seeks to align conservation efforts with broader climate goals, enhance monitoring and enforcement frameworks for Ecologically Critical Areas (ECAs), according to BSS News.
Money for good – The New Zealand government announced on Friday the allocation of $22 mln from the International Visitor Levy to activities focused on restoring unique wildlife in national parks, islands, and other popular visitor sites over the next three years. According to the country’s conservation minister, the funds will be divided between supporting native species and combating invasive pests. For instance, $4.15 mln will be allocated to expanding predator control, $11.5 mln toward the recovery of highly threatened species, and another $7 mln t0 target feral goats.
Deforestation dilemma – Most EU countries have demanded further changes to the bloc’s anti-deforestation law, arguing some of its producers face a competitive disadvantage, according to a letter seen by Reuters. Of the EU’s 27 member countries, agriculture ministers from 18 states wrote to the Commission, demanding the rules are not applied to countries said to have a low risk of deforestation. The EU Deforestation Regulation is expected to apply from the end of 2024, having already been delayed a year.
Fingerlings – The government of Laos plans to release more than 65 mln young fish, called fingerlings, and other aquatic species into rivers across the country in 2025 as part of efforts to conserve biodiversity, reported The Star. On Monday, Chanthakhone Boualaphanh, minister of agriculture and environment, emphasised the government’s commitment to the sustainable management of aquatic resources at a press conference. In 2024, over 64 mln aquatic animals were released across Laos.
SCIENCE & TECH
Chinese maps – A group of scientists from Fudan University published this week a series of habitat maps for key protected Chinese wildlife, spanning from 1985 to 2022. These 30m-resolution Area of Habitat (AOH) maps address distribution patterns of 720 species protected under national Chinese law. They serve as a resource to monitor biodiversity, to establish conservation and restoration sites, and to evaluate extinction risks for these species.
Rocket debris – Debris from SpaceX rocket launches has been found along the northern shores of Mexico, raising concerns over risks to endangered sea turtle habitats, CNN reported. Since November, local NGO Conibio Global has been collecting waste believed to come from launches at SpaceX’s nearby Starbase facility in Texas. The group has recovered over a tonne of debris, including melted plastics and aluminium, from just 500 metres of coastline. SpaceX said it has offered resources for cleanup efforts and requested support from Mexican authorities. The company added that tests found no chemical or toxic hazards linked to the debris. However, Conibio Global said it has not received any direct communication or assistance from SpaceX.
Grantees – The Weston Family Foundation has unveiled six projects that will receive support under its Northern Biodiversity Research Programme. Launched last year, the programme funds initiatives that have the potential to advance research on biodiversity conservation and restoration in northern Canada, the foundation said. Selected projects span a wide range of topics, including the impacts of the climate crisis on wildlife, polar bear and fish conservation, and the protection of deep-water coral reef ecosystems.
Data delivery – A £2 mln investment from public body Innovate UK has supported six projects focused on delivering environmental benefits into becoming a reality, Business Matters reported. Part of the wider £7 mln Integrating Finance and Biodiversity for a Nature Positive Future programme, the projects use Ocean Ledger’s geospatial analytics platform to predict coastal defence degradation, TierraSphere’s AI-driven monitoring model that forecasts inorganic carbon sequestration in soils, and Caledonian Climate Partners’ drone imagery to speed up peatland restoration planning.
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EVENTS
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