Nature Beat #16

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

Ecosystem restoration: The UN Environment Programme and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN have chosen seven ecosystem restoration initiatives to be ‘flagships’ eligible for funding and technical support. See the press releases for the initiatives in: seven countries in South America, four countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea, the Terai Arc landscape of India and Nepal; two multi-country projects in Africa (here and here); Pakistan and Sri Lanka. In the United States, the Department of the Interior announced US$157 million in funding for 206 ecological restoration projects — see Sergio Colombo’s story for details.

Finance for nature: The Global Environment Facility (GEF) Council met last week and approved US$1.1 billion in funding for action on biodiversity, climate change, pollution control and so on. The GEF Council also met as the Council of the new Global Biodiversity Framework Fund set up to help countries meet the goals of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework on halting and reversing nature loss.

The Council agreed on how the fund will operate and how it will approve projects for funding. It will start to disburse money by the end of 2024. Spain added to the fund, which now has around US$220 million, following prior contributions from Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Japan.

Biodiversity net gain: It is now compulsory in England for road and house-building projects to achieve at least a 10 percent net gain in biodiversity, either on-site or elsewhere. The policy is among the world’s most ambitious attempts to drive — and fund — nature restoration. Will it work? Ecological economist Sophus zu Ermgassen has been studying the policy’s development for years, and shares his thoughts on its potential and risks of non-delivery here. Richard Benwell, CEO of Wildlife and Countryside Link argues that councils in England must set more ambitious targets than the 10 percent minimum — a small number of them already have, or plan to do so.

Threats to the Amazon: Last year, 59 percent of Ecuadorians voted to ban drilling for oil in the highly biodiverse Yasuni National Park, which is home to Ecuador’s last Indigenous Peoples in voluntary isolation. Now Ecuador's President Daniel Noboa wants to pause that ban to drill for oil, reports Doménica Montaño. In Peru, a change to the country’s forest and wildlife law could encourage deforestation and affect the rights of Indigenous peoples, reports Aimee Gabay. A report by the Environmental Investigation Agency calls the legal reform “scandalous” and exposes how palm oil and cocoa companies are driving deforestation in the Amazon.

Changing climate: The European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service released data showing that global warming had reached 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels for a full year — and that the global average sea surface temperature is now higher than ever recorded. With rising heat, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has added three new categories to its alert scale for coral bleaching, now extending to risk of “near complete mortality”. Meanwhile, scientists provided evidence to support extending the scale used to measure hurricane strength to include a new Category 6. In an accompanying editorial, climatologist Michael Mann supports the move, saying it would help policymakers and the public understand the threats posed by “a new class of monster storms”.

Trade in endangered species: Russia has alerted Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) about the existence of fake Russian export permits and re-export certificates issued in relation to trade in tropical butterflies and trophies of various birds of prey, leopards and snow leopards. Parties to the Convention have also been recommended to suspend commercial trade in all CITES-listed species with Angola because of its lack of progress in implementing a National Ivory Action Plan. In other news:

• TRAFFIC and partners published three reports on legal and illegal wildlife trade in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. Species in the spotlight include saker falcons, saiga antelopes, snow leopards and steppe tortoises.

• Surging demand in China for swim bladders from totoaba fish in Mexico’s Gulf of California — coupled with a decline in seizures of trafficked swim bladders — is driving a critically endangered marine mammal called the vaquita to extinction, says a new report by the Environmental Investigation Agency.

• Writing to introduce a collection of articles in the journal Oryx, researchers and conservationists working in Africa, Asia and Latin America say that while much attention focuses on international wildlife trade, there is a risk of overlooking the importance of domestic markets.

Whose eye is this? Answer below

In The Spotlight

• Another great story from Phoebe Weston, reporting on the United Kingdom’s biggest ever police investigation of wildlife crime.

• Ena Aguilar Peláez wrote about threats facing Mexico’s jaguars as roads and railways carve up their territory — and how scientists are working to prevent inbreeding in the remnant populations.

• The illicit trade in endangered butterflies — if managed differently — could end up helping to conserve habitats the species need, reports Katherine Harmon Courage.

In Focus: Migratory Species

The 14th Conference of Parties to the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) is underway (12-17 February) in Uzbekistan. The CMS aims to boost international efforts to conserve species that move across borders, with a focus on the nearly 1,200 species listed in its appendices as needing action.

The first ‘State of the World’s Migratory Species’ report was launched at the conference — see the press release. The report shows that half of the CMS-listed species are in decline and 22 percent are threatened with extinction (this rises to 97 percent of CMS-listed fish).

Only 14 CMS-listed species have an improved conservation status compared to 30 years ago. And another 399 migratory species — mainly birds and fish — are threatened or near-threatened but are not yet covered by the CMS.

Adding species to the CMS list is on the agenda at this week’s conference, with proposals to include Amazon catfish, sand tiger sharks, guanacos, Eurasian lynx and several other species. For insights into what nongovernmental organizations want the meeting to achieve, see the positions of Born Free, BirdLife International, the Wildlife Conservation Society and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.

Tips And Resources

• Amazônia Vox is hosting a webinar on solutions journalism on 22 February for journalists in Brazil — register here.

• The Society of Environmental Journalists published a tip-sheet on the deadly chronic wasting disease that is spreading rapidly across North America among deer, moose, elk and so on —raising fears it could spill over to infect people.

• Emily Atkin, founder of the HEATED newsletter, discusses the limits to objectivity in climate change journalism — and much more —on the Mongabay podcast co-hosted by Rachel Donald and Mike DiGirolamo. Listen or read a summary here.

• What can an ‘energetic’ view of life on Earth tell us about the decline and recovery of nature? Professor Yadvinder Malhi of Oxford University explains in this online event on 16 February.

• Roxanne Scott wrote for The Open Notebook about how journalists can write science explainers for local audiences.

See past editions for more tips and resources.

From The Journals

In case you missed it, my latest round-up of new research included papers on: Unloved amphibians. Dangerous earthworms. The biodiversity finance gap. 30x30 in India. Dams and fishes. Forestry robots. Read the summaries here.

What Caught My Eye

• An international ‘high-level working group’ looking at environmental impacts of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine says special units should investigate environmental war crimes and ecocide — see the press release or full report.

• Forest Trends and the Ethical Gold Institute launched an initiative to upcycle donated gold and support Indigenous communities harmed by illegal gold mining in the Amazon.

• Benji Jones explains why the Earth is getting greener, sorting the good news from the bad.

• The number of migratory monarch butterflies wintering in Mexico fell 59 by percent this year — the second lowest level since records began.

• Following a rewilding initiative in Argentina, giant anteaters have returned to southern Brazil after more than a hundred years, reports Sarah Brown.

• Clare Carlile, Adam Barnett and Phoebe Cooke of DeSmog say a climate denial network is behind a new pro-farmer campaign.

• In the past five years, India approved 231 projects in protected areas and 43 in eco-sensitive zones, reports Jayashree Nandi.

• Vaishnavi Rathore reviews what a decade of Narendra Modi’s government has meant for forests, environment and climate action in India.

• Finlan Adhitya Aldan reported on growing conflict between crocodiles and people on Bangka Island, Indonesia.

• Nepal now allows large infrastructure projects, like hydropower dams and tourist resorts, inside national parks and protected areas — Shristi Kafle reports on what this means for conservation and local development.

• Despite a recent increase, nature-based solutions still receive only 37 percent of the financing needed to reach global climate goals.

• For UNEP’s Perspectives series, Silvia Mantilla wrote this useful primer on the role of wildlife in mitigating climate change.

• Satyarupa Shekhar says India is weakening the global plastics treaty that is being negotiated this year.

In Focus: Zoonotic and Vector-Borne Diseases

• Researchers have shared a global analysis of how climate change will affect more than 100+ diseases that are either zoonotic (spreading from animals to people) or vector-borne (transmitted to people by animals such as biting mosquitoes).

• An example of the former is Alaskapox — a relatively new disease spread to people by small mammals. As Yereth Rosen reported last week, in late January it claimed its first known human victim.

• Monica Piccinini wrote about how climate change and deforestation affect the chances of new diseases emerging from the Amazon rainforest.

• On 13 February, IUCN and partners launched the One Health Central Asia initiative, aiming to mitigate the risk of zoonotic diseases in the region.

Jobs And Opportunities

• The Knight Science Journalism Program has a fellowship for journalists in Africa and the Middle East, created in honour of Egyptian journalist Mohammed Yahia — apply by 1 March.

• The Institute for Journalism and Natural Resources has grants for reporting on marine Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas in Canada — deadline 29 March.

• The Investigative Journalism for Europe fund has grants of up to EUR 20,000 to teams of freelance journalists in EU member states investigating issues including environment and climate change — deadline 31 March.

• Journalismfund Europe has grants for organizations that provide training or other support to investigative environment journalists — deadline 23 May.

Bonus content: There are 25 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

26 February – 1 March 2024: The Sixth Meeting of the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA-6) will take place in Nairobi, Kenya.

11-13 March 2024: The 11th Annual World Ocean Summit & Expo takes place in Lisbon, Portugal.

11-15 March 2024: The Global EverGreening Alliance’s conference on Accelerating Nature-based Solutions takes place in Livingstone, Zambia.

Bonus content: The full calendar for The Nature Beat’s supporters includes 51 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 Siberian tiger. Photo credit: Lefteris Katsouromallis / Flickr — Creative Commons

---

Thanks for reading. For past editions, see the Archive. If you found it interesting or useful, please share and subscribe. If you want to get in contact, you can reach me at: thenaturebeat@substack.com.