Nature Beat #12
Updates, stories, resources and opportunities
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
Climate change: The 60th session of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is taking place from 16-19 January in Istanbul, Türkiye. The agenda is here. Among other things, it will focus on plans for the 7th IPCC Assessment — the periodic evaluation of the science of climate change and what to do about it. The new IPCC Chair Jim Skea is keen to strengthen links with similar efforts focused on nature and pollution. In other news, Saudi Arabia is claiming that phasing out fossil fuels as agreed at COP28 is optional, the COP29 hosts Azerbaijan have appointed a 28-person organizing committee that includes no women, and two giants of climate diplomacy — John Kerry of the United States and Xie Zhenhua of China — are stepping down.
UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD): Parties to the CBD are trying to develop a multilateral mechanism — such as a fund — for sharing benefits from the use of digital sequence information on genetic resources. Last November, at the first meeting of the working group focused on this task, the working group proposed having an informal advisory group. That advisory group’s composition was made public on 15 January. It includes CBD Parties and non-Party states, representatives of Indigenous Peoples, pharmaceutical manufacturers, and other organizations. The CBD Secretariat has also invited Parties and others to review a new draft of a global action plan on biodiversity and health.
Trade in endangered species: The Secretariat of the Convention on Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) has informed Parties to the agreement that the CITES Standing Committee recommends suspending trade in all CITES-listed species with Somalia and Brunei, after they failed to submit the required annual reports. The Secretariat also shared Nigeria’s call to add five tree species to the CITES Appendix III and its request for support from other CITES Parties to control trade of these species. It reminded Parties to submit inventories of ivory stockpiles and information about trade in edible orchids.
Sustainable fisheries: The UN Food and Agriculture Organization’s Committee on Fisheries has a new Sub-Committee on Fisheries Management. Its first meeting is underway this week (15-18 February), with a focus on sustainable practices and promoting biodiversity.
Forest restoration: TerraFund for AFR100 announced funding for 92 projects that will grow 12.7 million trees in Ghana, Kenya, Burundi, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo over six years. The initiative aims to create 52,000 jobs and restore 47,000 hectares. Explore all 92 projects or read the press release from the World Resources Institute.
In The Spotlight
Rodney Muhumuza wrote about the refugees in Uganda who are planting hundreds of thousands of trees in areas deforested for fuelwood.
“If you’re going to get sued, it might as well be by a Queen!” — Mike DiGirolamo and Rachel Donald interviewed journalist Clare Rewcastle Brown, who exposed corruption linked to deforestation in Borneo and the largest theft in history.
Karl Mathiesen spent the past year investigating political opposition to climate action and the perspectives of people being left behind by the green transition.
Iván Antezana Quiroz reports for Dialogo Chino on a quest to reforest the Andes —with photos by Flor Ruiz. You can read this story in English, Portuguese or Spanish.
Le Monde’s climate editor Nabil Wakim spoke with the Columbia Journalism Review about how his newspaper has trained hundreds of staff on climate change.
Tips And Resources
Rachel Nuwer wrote about her experiences of reporting with nuance on the controversial topic of trophy hunting. You can read the in-depth story she wrote here.
Sherry Ricchiardi explains how journalists can cover climate change through solutions and data lenses.
Journalists interested in exploring marine data and ecosystem monitoring in Asia can register for a two-day workshop (25-26 January) with the EU’s Copernicus Marine Service.
From The Journals
In case you missed it, my latest round-up of new research included papers on: Rising shark killing. Climate-driven extinctions. Conservation-climate-development synergies and trade-offs. Antarctic ocean acidification. Factors affecting US pollinators. Prognosis for Atlantic Forest trees. Read the summaries here.
What Caught My Eye
German billionaire Michael Gastauer committed US$1.5 billion to a new fund that will boost biodiversity protection.
Vaishali Rawat wrote a blistering critique of India’s amended Forest Conservation Act, saying it will lead to rampant deforestation.
The Campaign for Nature warns that markets for biodiversity credits are distracting governments from funding action on nature.
A survey of India’s largest businesses showed that nearly half have a strategy for achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions, and more than 90 percent plan to increase investments in natural climate solutions over the next five years.
Spain declared an environmental emergency after millions of tiny plastic pellets began washing ashore.
Benji Jones asks: Could protecting old trees make wildfires worse?
More than 250 advocacy groups, scientists, and other experts urged the US Secretary of Agriculture to "stop disregarding the science” and make meat and dairy reduction a key part of US Department of Agriculture’s climate strategy.
For the first time in the United States, humans have been appointed to act as legal guardians for nature — Katie Surma reports.
Robin Hicks visited a wildlife market in Indonesia — warning: the photos are grim —and wrote about moves to strengthen control of the trade in animal parts.
Intergovernmental negotiations towards a treaty on plastic pollution have a difficult road ahead, writes Li Jiacheng for China Dialogue.
The International Institute for Environment and Development says rich countries should compensate Global South for loss and damage of biodiversity driven by overconsumption – read the press release or the briefing paper.
Last year, 11 of the 14 countries with river dolphins signed a pact to protect them, reports Astrid Arellano in a newly-translated article for Mongabay.
Varsha Singh reported on Gujarat, India, where industrial pollution is killing fish and destroying local livelihoods. Part 2 is here.
How To Support Global Nature Beat
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Jobs And Opportunities
Journalists in Latin America and the Caribbean can apply for a CONNECTAS fellowship — deadline 28 January.
The Reporters’ Collective in India is offering one long-term investigative reporting fellowship —deadline 31 January.
Apply here for the Victor K. McElheny Award for local or regional reporting in the United States — deadline 31 January 2024.
Climate Tracker Caribbean’s Journalism Awards are open for submissions — deadline 31 January 2024.
The One World Media Awards are open to submissions — deadline 8 February.
Apply for Mongabay’s 2024 Conservation Reporting Fellowship — deadline 10 February 2024.
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.
12-17 February 2024: The 14th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS COP14), will take place in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.
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.
Why The Name Change?
The eagled-eyed among you will have noticed that The Nature Beat is now Global Nature Beat. When I registered my newsletter with Substack, the subdomain “thenaturebeat” was free so I took it. A few weeks later I learned that journalist Gabe Popkin already had a newsletter called The Nature Beat. As Gabe is writing about similar topics, I’ve renamed my newsletter to avoid any confusion.
Whose Eye Was It?
The eye belongs to a hyacinth macaw. Photo credit: Watts / Flickr — Creative Commons