Nature Beat #39

Updates, stories, resources and opportunities

Aug 19, 2024

Welcome to the latest edition of Global Nature Beat. If you are new here, read my About page to find out what this newsletter is, who I am and why I am doing this. Or just dive in. You’ll find news, reporting resources, job postings, links to some great stories and a look ahead to what’s coming up in the world of biodiversity and nature policy.

Taking The Pulse

Biodiversity talks: Negotiators from states that are party to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) made qualified progress towards a decision that could generate billions of dollars for conservation. They met in Montreal to negotiate the design of a mechanism for sharing benefits that arise when companies use digital information on genetic sequences to develop medicines, foods and other products — see the Earth Negotiations Bulletin’s summary of the meeting.

The negotiators drafted a decision that will form the basis of further negotiations in October the 16th Conference of Parties to the CBD (COP16). The CBD Secretariat’s press release is positive about progress made and the prospects for the negotiations to conclude at COP16. But the text of the draft decision — see the Annex here — shows that there is still much for negotiators to discuss.

Square brackets indicate wording that has not been agreed, and the first sentence alone has many: [All] [commercial] users of digital sequence information on genetic resources [held in [public] databases] [are encouraged to][will][should][shall] share [monetary or non-monetary] benefits arising from its use in a fair and equitable manner.

Nature restoration: The European Union’s Nature Restoration Law entered into force on 18 August. Among other things, it sets binding targets for EU member states to collectively restore 20 percent of land and sea areas by 2030. Each EU member state has two years to develop a national restoration plan. See the press release for full details of the law and its requirements.

Plastics treaty: Joe Lo reports on a shift in the US government’s position on what the forthcoming global treaty on plastics should include, raising hope among campaigners that the treaty will not only cover plastic waste but also limit plastic production.

In The Spotlight

Farai Mutsaka reported on an initiative teaching children in Zimbabwe how to stay safe as they walk to and from school through areas inhabited by crocodiles, elephants, hyenas and other wildlife.
Warren Cornwall wrote about research suggesting that vulture poisoning in India led to half a million human deaths.
David Adam wrote about the toxic legacy of unexploded bombs and mines in seas around the world.

Media accreditation for the COP16 biodiversity conference is now open — apply by 31 August.
Agenda Propia and the Earth Journalism Network have an online course on Indigenous journalism, territory and the environment — available in Spanish and English until 31 December.

See past editions for more tips and resources.

In Focus: Zombie Environmental Treaties

The 69th meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) will take place in Lima, Peru in September. Should it be its final meeting? Writing in Nature, former IWC chair Peter Bridgewater and colleagues say the IWC has outlived its purpose and should “celebrate its accomplishments, devolve its final responsibilities and send a powerful message about the importance of knowing when to stop.”

They are making a broader point about the high costs and limited achievements of many of the international environmental agreements that exist today. They warn that such agreements can become ‘zombies’ that consume time, energy and resources without adding value, and that “allowing institutions to become zombies serves no one”.

As examples, they say the IWC, the Montreal Protocol and the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance could, respectively, be rolled into the Convention on Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the UN Convention on Biological Diversity. Bridgewater and colleagues want their proposal to be on the agenda of the UN Summit of the Future in September. Read their full article here.

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What Caught My Eye

Sri Lanka launched a plan to attract US$1.5 billion to fund its efforts to conserve 30 percent of the country's land and sea by 2030, reports Nikita Pandey.
Adi Renaldi reported on the environmental consequence of Indonesia moving its capital to an area of rainforest and mangroves.
Phoebe Weston explains why Britain’s insects have had such a terrible year.
Arthur Neslen reports that a draft report by the UN Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) has dismayed experts who say it fails to adequately address the livestock sector’s contribution to climate change.
Nigeria adopted a ten-year plan to protect its remaining elephants, whose numbers have declined by 99 percent according to the Wildlife Conservation Society.
Abubakar Said Saad wrote about why so many tree planting initiatives fail.
Researchers detected pharmaceuticals in rivers in every English national park.
Urban birds are teeming with antibiotic-resistant bacteria, reports Nicola Davis.
The first satellite dedicated exclusively to observing the Earth’s biodiversity will soon be in orbit.
Fabio Carvalho and Alona Armstrong explain how new solar farms can benefit nature.

From The Journals

Nearly 25 percent of Europe is ripe for rewilding and protection — read the press release or the full paper.
Surf breaks worldwide coincide with biodiverse ecosystems storing large amounts of carbon, creating opportunities to simultaneously achieve climate, conservation and coastal development goals — read the press release or the full paper.
Fast-growing tree monocultures rapidly store carbon but may face greater fire risks than diverse forests — read the full paper.
Forest restoration can simultaneously achieve climate, nature and social goals — read the press release or the full paper.

The Dallas Morning News is hiring an energy and natural resources reporter — no deadline listed.
BBC Wildlife and BBC Countryfile Magazine are looking for a content creator — no deadline listed.
Climate Tracker invites journalists in Chile, Colombia and Peru to apply for its Climate Journalism Mentorship Program — deadline 28 August.
Climate Home News is seeking a full-time energy transition reporter based in Africa — deadline 1 September.
Climate Tracker invites Caribbean journalists to apply for a fellowship to report on the COP29 climate change conference in Baku, Azerbaijan — deadline 6 September.

Bonus content: There are 30 jobs, grants, fellowships and other opportunities listed here for Global Nature Beat’s paying supporters. Paid subscriptions are less than £1 per week. A free seven-day trial is available.

On The Horizon

20-22 August 2024: IUCN's USA Regional Conservation Forum takes place in Washington, DC.

20-22 August: The 11th Conference of Parties to the Nairobi Convention takes place in Antananarivo, Madagascar.

25-31 August 2024: The 12th World Wilderness Congress (WILD12) takes place in the Black Hills of South Dakota, United States.

28-29 August: The EU Dialogue on developing national biodiversity strategies and action plans takes place in Brussels, Belgium.

Bonus content: The full calendar for Global Nature Beat’s supporters includes 45 nature-related intergovernmental negotiations, scientific conferences, report launches, and other events up until 2026. Paid subscriptions are less than £1 per week. A free seven-day trial is available.

Whose Eye Was It?

The eye belongs to a cock of the rock. Photo credit: Shannon Kringen / Flickr — Creative Commons

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