Nature Beat #11

Updates, stories, resources and opportunities

Welcome to the latest edition of the The 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.

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Taking The Pulse

Climate change negotiations: Remember that “transition away” from fossil fuels agreed at COP28, followed two days later by news that the COP President said the UAE’s state oil and gas company he leads would invest US$150 billion in more fossil fuel production? This year’s COP29 will be in Azerbaijan, and it has appointed the former head of its state-owned oil and gas company as COP President. Joe Lo has the details for Climate Home News.

Trade in endangered species: The Secretariat of the Convention on Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) has asked Parties to the convention to provide information how they are managing sharks and rays and how they handle trade in species of non-wild origin. It also reminded Parties to declare stocks of rhino horn, ahead of a February deadline. The Secretariat shared a list the current list of whale species and stocks protected by the International Whaling Commission and covered by a longstanding CITES decisions. It also shared the conditions that eight African countries should meet before trade in West African rosewood involving those countries can resume.

IPBES assessments: Governments and experts are reviewing two major reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) this month. The first is the ‘nexus assessment’ of linkages among biodiversity, water, food and health. The second is an assessment of causes of biodiversity loss, determinants of transformative change and options for achieving the Global Biodiversity Framework’s 2050 vision. Each assessment’s summary for policymakers is due to be approved in December 2024.

World Economic Forum (WEF): The WEF’s annual meeting takes place in Davos, Switzerland next week (15-19 January). One of the meeting’s four themes is “A long term strategy for climate, nature and energy”. You can find a growing list of articles by meeting participants on this theme here — and the full programme and info on how to follow the meeting here.

The UK and global deforestation: In the United Kingdom, the parliamentary Environmental Audit Committee has issued a report calling on the government to improve its planned legislation that would ban imports of commodities linked to illegal deforestation. In its current form, the law could encourage commodity producing countries to deregulate forest protection so they can continue exporting. To avoid this, says the report, the UK should include all deforestation and not only illegal deforestation. This would align the law with the EU’s Deforestation Regulation. The Government has two months to respond.

Whose eye is this? Answer below

In The Spotlight

• Rishika Pardikar reports that, fearing a loss of land rights, the Tribal Council of India’s Nicobar Islands is opposing the creation of three wildlife sanctuaries to compensate for the loss of biodiversity that a huge infrastructure project will cause.

• Carbon Brief’s analysis shows record opposition to climate action by the United Kingdom’s right-leaning newspapers in 2023.

• Julián Reingold reports on how technologies are aiding conservation in the Atlantic Forest of South America, including the scientists using audio recorders to listen out for hunters’ gunshots enabling them to predict where poaching will take place.

• Phoebe Weston reports from a pilot site for England's biodiversity net gain scheme, under which developers who harm biodiversity must increase it by 10 percent elsewhere.

• Cecilia Fernández Castañón reports on the uncertain future for Argentina’s primate conservation plan now that the country’s new president has scrapped the environment and science ministries.

• Shreya Dasgupta reports on recent research looking at who best protects nature — the state or communities?

Tips And Resources

• Muriel Alarcón explains how she covered conflict in southern Chile between environmentalists and moss extractors whose activities are harming peatlands — with photography by her brother Fernando Alarcón.

• On 26 January, Professor Arie Trouwborst of Tilburg University is giving his inaugural lecture on ‘Restoring what is broken: wildlife law in an era of ecological emergency, eye-opening science and maturing morality’ — register here for the livestream.

• Investigative journalists Emma Johansson and Jessica Ziegerer share tips on planning an investigation and staying focused.

• The Council for the Advancement of Science Writing has a webinar on 10 January on best practices for pitching freelance stories — register here.

• The Pulitzer Center has a webinar on 24 January on rising seas, marine ecosystems and coastal livelihoods in Brazil, Indonesia, Nigeria and Uruguay.

From The Journals

In case you missed it, last week’s round-up of new research included papers on: Africa’s disappearing raptors. Conservation philanthropy in China. Eating sharks in India. Leaky EU biodiversity strategy. National bioeconomy visions. Sacred forests. Read the summaries here.

What Caught My Eye

• Ian Sample reports that global warming is making Alaska and northern Canada more habitable to beavers, whose ponds are driving further warming and attracting more beavers.

• Colombia is hosting this year’s biodiversity COP. Pablo Castaño wrote a profile of the country’s president Gustavo Petro, who is putting the environment at the heart of his agenda.

• Soil erosion delivers huge amounts of sediment into reservoirs in the EU and the UK. It costs  a staggering 2.3 billion euros every year to remove it, say scientists.

• Olive Heffernan reports on concerns among scientists and conservationists about Norway’s embrace of deep-sea mining.

• Jasmine Hardy wrote about ‘sponge cities’ and other ways to eco-design climate-resilient human settlements.

• Mubina Akhtar reports that the ornamental fish trade is threatening species from Assam in northeastern India, where officials recently seized a consignment worth millions of dollars.

• Researchers Victor Maus and Tim Werner say the impacts of half of the world’s mining areas are undocumented.

• Ingrid Gercama and Harun Dinarević  wrote about a British company extracting minerals in Bosnia and Herzegovina for sale in the European Union, and how local people say the mine threatens biodiversity and human health — read the story in Dutch or see Ingrid’s summary in English on x.com.

• Tara Lohan reports on how ocean warming — and increasing traffic from ships — exposes Antarctica to invasive species.

• Douglas Main wrote for Hakai about how humpback whale numbers have increased in a former whaling hotspot in South Georgia.

• Thomas Cox reports on proposed global targets for conserving wetlands, which are under-represented in national biodiversity strategies.

• Sam Matey interviewed carnivore ecologist Christine Wilkinson about her work in Kenya and the United States.

• Do you read Mongabay-India’s environmental journalism? If so, they would like your feedback in quick survey.

Focus on Jaguars

“Every new jaguar in Arizona is a moment to celebrate,” said Russ McSpadden of the Center for Biological Diversity, which confirmed that video footage from December shows a previously unknown jaguar in southern Arizona. It is only the eighth jaguar documented in the United States in the past three decades.

And, in case you missed it, here is something I published on jaguars at the weekend.

Jobs And Opportunities

• The New York Times is seeking an editor for its Climate Forward newsletter.

• The 2023 Solutions Journalism Network Awards are open for submissions — deadline 16 January.

• The International Center for Journalists is offering funding up to US$5,000 for investigative stories on Southeast Asia — deadline 28 January.

• Emerging filmmakers can apply for the Whickers Film & TV Funding Award (£100,000) — deadline 31 January.

• The Reporters’ Collective in India is offering one long-term investigative reporting fellowship —deadline 31 January.

Bonus content: There are 24 jobs, grants, fellowships and other opportunities listed here for The Nature Beat’s paying supporters. Paid subscriptions are less than £1 per week. A free seven-day trial is available.

On The Horizon

23-25 January 2024: The Bern III conference on cooperation among biodiversity-related UN conventions takes place in Bern, Switzerland. The aim is to support implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

2 February 2024: World Wetlands Day.

5-9 February 2024: The 66th meeting of the Global Environment Facility’s Council takes place in Washington DC.

6 February 2024: The European Commission plans to present the EU’s 2040 climate target.

9 February 2024: The 1st meeting of the Global Biodiversity Framework Fund’s Council takes place in Washington DC.

Bonus content: The full calendar for The Nature Beat’s supporters includes 47 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 spotted trunkfish. Photo credit: Laszlo Ilyes / Flickr — Creative Commons

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