Nature Beat #20

Updates, stories, resources and opportunities

Mar 13, 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

EU climate risks: The European Environment Agency’s first assessment of climate risks in the European Union (EU) paints a grim picture. It warns that EU policies are not keeping pace with the growing risks that climate change poses to energy and food security, ecosystems, infrastructure, water resources, financial stability, and people’s health. See the press release or Zia Weise’s coverage of five key points. The European Commission responded to the report by setting out steps the EU and its member states can take to reduce climate risks — see the press release.

Sustainable Development Goals: Each year a coalition of international organizations published a report on how well UN Member States are implementing the Sustainable Development Goals. The report for 2023 will be launched on 19 March. Register here to attend or receive the recording.

Wildlife trade: The Secretariat of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and the World Organisation for Animal Health have agreed to cooperate more in areas of mutual interest, include legal wildlife trade and identification of wildlife-to-human disease risks associated with CITES activities and CITES listed species. See the press release or the text of the agreement.

Invasive species control: In the United States, the World Wildlife Fund and Freshwater Select launched a new partnership that aims to deal with problematic invasive carp fish by turning them into food products for people and farmed animals. See the press release or the Invasive Carp Consortium website.

Nature-based solutions: The Accelerating Nature-Based Solutions conference is underway this week (11-15 March) in Zambia. Ruth Kamnitzer interviewed Patricia Wall of Self Help Africa about the conference’s goals and expected outcomes.

In The Spotlight

Jonathan Franklin reported on the lucrative and murky trade in monkeys from Cambodia to biomedical research facilities in the United States. It is a story of corruption, undercover investigations, disease risks, illegal monkey laundering and geopolitics — with photography by Anton L. Delgado.
Zaya Delgerjargal reported on the challenges facing Mongolia's nomadic herders as the climate changes.
In an extract from her forthcoming book, Gaia’s Web, Karen Bakker tells the story of researchers using artificial intelligence, computer vision and citizen science who have transformed the science of wildlife monitoring.
Moira Donovan reported on the Passamaquoddy Nation’s efforts to restore a once-demonized fish and its river ecosystem, which have fed them and their ancestors for millennia.
Yam Kumari Kandel told the story of a Nepali man who lost an eye to a tiger and is now working to protect the species amid a rise in human-tiger conflict.
Harriet Barber reported on plans to develop ‘a new Miami’ in biodiverse wetlands in Argentina.

Exposing An Assassin

Rainforest defender Chico Mendes was murdered in the Amazon in 1988. Last month, Cristiane Prizibisczki exposed how the murderer had assumed a new name, presented himself as a pastor and was active in local politics as a member of ex-President Jair Bolsonaro’s party. Andy Revkin wrote about this story and discussed it in a video call with Prizibisczki and with biologist Angélica Mendes, the granddaughter of Chico (also available in podcast form).

In Focus: Coral Reefs

Marine heatwaves can harm and kill corals in a phenomenon called bleaching. With heat stress reaching record levels, Australia’s Great Barrier Reef is now undergoing its fifth mass bleaching in eight years. Elizabeth Claire Alberts covered the story for Mongabay, and coral reef scientist Terry Hughes provided a grim prognosis. As Tracy Keeling reports, the Great Barrier Reef is also threatened by the legal trade in coral harvested from it — with up to 200,000 kg allowed to be extracted each year.

Restoration efforts got a boost last week when the airline Qantas announced US$6.5 million in funding and a partnership with the Great Barrier Reef Foundation (see Mark Tilly’s story). The money will be spent over ten years. Some of it will support scientists, Traditional Owners and tourism operators to restore reefs using portable coral nurseries and heat-tolerant corals.

Research published last week (see press release) showed that restored coral reefs can grow at the same speed as healthy reefs after just four years. The study also highlighted the need to transplant a variety of corals to restore a mix of reef habitats and increase resilience to coral bleaching. Another new study has shown that interactions among the microscopic algae and fungi that live inside corals can affect how susceptible corals are to bleaching — see the press release.

Tips And Resources

The Global Investigative Journalism Network published a short version of Toby McIntosh’s Reporter’s Guide to Investigating Carbon Offsets — and a related database.
Non-profit organization C4ADS announced that it has added lions as the sixth category on its Wildlife Seizure Dashboard, which now has data on 7,000 seizures of trafficked wildlife.
Mike DiGirolamo will be talking with journalist Ian Morse and indigenous rights advocate Galina Angarova for this Mongabay webinar on how to cover transition minerals.

See past editions for more tips and resources.

Researchers have proposed a new way of calculating the monetary value of services that ecosystems provide, which they say governments have significantly undervalued — see Giada Ferraglioni’s story.
The European Union’s climate and environmental targets for 2030 are within reach, according to the latest Environment Action Programme mid-term review.
Under new regulations in England, anyone owning a primate there must now get a license and show they look after their animal(s) to ‘zoo standards’ — Born Free estimates that there are up to 5,000 privately owned primates in Britain.
Diana Bell, a conservation biologist who studies emerging diseases, wrote about the origin and spread of the H5N1 bird flu virus — which has now caused deaths in at least 48 mammal species.
The Bezos Earth Fund announced it will spend US$60 million to establish ‘Bezos Centers for Sustainable Protein’.
The International Institute for Sustainable Development produced a report on the state of global environmental governance in 2023, written by the Earth Negotiations Bulletin team who were tracking multilateral processes over the year.
Ecuador, India, Kenya, Laos, Philippines, Uruguay, and Vietnam launched a US$379 million initiative to combat pollution from the use of pesticides and plastics in agriculture.
South Africa published its 3rd national report on the status and management of biological invasions — see the press release.
Dana Kobilinsky wrote about research into incentives that could encourage bat-friendly production of the agave plants used to make tequila.
Tara Lohan wrote about recent research on how a warming world and a wilder climate is affecting various species — and how they are responding.
Law enforcement officials from Cameroon, the Republic of Congo and Nigeria met for the first time to discuss their challenges in tackling wildlife crime and how to work together in the future.
Emily Cooke reported that the World Health Organization has warned of an unusual increase in human cases of parrot fever (psittacosis) in Europe, including five deaths.
Global Witness says European banks are still investing billions in companies destroying rainforests.
Scientists have proposed the mountains of southern Malawi and northern Mozambique as a new ecoregion — the South East Africa Montane Archipelago.
The Key Biodiversity Areas programme identifies places for priority conservation action but, according to Jeffrey Wall, it has ‘no meaningful compatibility’ with the priorities of people living in and managing many of those areas.
Tanzania has temporarily suspended a moratorium on live exports of captive-bred wildlife.

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From The Journals

In case you missed it, my latest round-up of new research included papers on: Umbrella species. Deep-sea sharks. War harming distant biodiversity. Tree lizards. And much more… Read the summaries here.

Jobs And Opportunities

In France, 2050NOW is looking for a video journalist with expertise in science and the environment — apply here.
Devex is seeking a climate editor and reporter — deadline 14 March.
The Network for Border Crossing Journalism is seeking proposals for sessions at its conference on climate journalism in Eastern Europe and Caucasus in August — the deadline for submitting ideas is 15 March.
Scientific American is looking for a news intern and an op-ed intern — both are paid positions with a deadline of 15 March.
The Earth Journalism Network is offering grants to organizations to strengthen media reporting on biodiversity issues — deadline 9 April.
Mongabay has new paid opportunities for journalists reporting on spirituality and conservation and on land degradation in West and Central Africa or climate change in the Sahel.
The Institute for Journalism & Natural Resources is offering reporting grants — deadline 15 March.
The American Geophysical Union has two awards for science journalists — apply by 27 March.
The Institute for Journalism & Natural Resources has grants for reporting on Marine Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas in Canada — deadline 29 March.
Apply for the Sharon Begley Science Reporting Award by 30 April.

Bonus content: There are 35 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

3-7 April 2024: The Society of Environmental Journalists holds its annual conference in Philadelphia, United States.

10-12 April 2024: The UN Ocean Decade Conference takes place in Barcelona, Spain.

15-17 April 2024: The 9th Our Ocean Conference takes place in Athens, Greece.

15-19 April 2024: The Secretariat of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity is holding a dialogue on National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans, and a workshop on Target 3 of the Global Biodiversity Framework, for Caribbean countries. Both take place in Georgetown, Guyana.

17-21 April 2024: The International Journalism Festival takes place in Perugia, Italy.

Bonus content: The full calendar for The Nature Beat’s supporters includes 57 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 hare. Photo credit: Holger Schramm / 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.