Nature Beat #31

Updates, stories, resources and opportunities

Jun 05, 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

UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD): Parties to the CBD held the 4th meeting of their Subsidiary Body on Implementation from 21-29 May. “That was a tough meeting,” said the CBD’s acting executive secretary David Cooper in his closing remarks. Negotiators made limited progress on one of the main agenda items: how to raise and manage the money needed to achieve the CBD’s goals. See the CBD Secretariat’s press release. For media coverage, read the stories by Stella Paul and Vibha Varshney. Or see the full meeting summary and analysis by the Earth Negotiations Bulletin.

Biodiversity fund: China and the UN Environment Programme will co-chair the new fund intended to help developing nations implement the Global Biodiversity Framework — the ten-year plan for halting and reversing nature loss that parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity agreed in 2022. The new Kunming Biodiversity Fund currently has 1.5 billion yuan (US$210 million) and is seeking contributions from public and private donors. As Helen Clark notes in her story for Carbon Pulse, the new fund is now almost as big as the Global Biodiversity Framework Fund, established by the Conference of Parties to the CBD and managed by the Global Environment Facility. The total in both funds is less than half a billion dollars, a small fraction of what is needed.

Island nature: The Global Environment Facility and UN Development Programme launched a US$135 million initiative to produce nature-positive development and reduce ecosystem degradation in 15 small island developing states. It will focus on valuing nature and applying nature-based solutions in the food, tourism, and urban sectors. Read the press release or see the initiative’s website.

Nature-based climate solutions: In recent years, governments, multilateral agencies and private companies have announced a plethora of joint actions aimed at accelerating the implementation of nature-based solutions to climate change. But according to the Nature4Climate Coalition’s new analysis, there is insufficient evidence of progress for nearly half of these initiatives. Nature4Climate asks: “If nature can provide up to one-third of the emissions reductions needed to limit global temperature rise to 1.5°C, why is there such a lack of transparency and reporting in this area? Why are we progressing at such a slow pace?” The analysis also reveals a huge increase in attention to Indigenous Peoples and local communities — more than half of the 22 new commitments announced at the 2023 UN climate change conference refer to these groups, up from 11 percent in prior commitments.

Environmental Performance Index: Researchers at the University of Yale in the United States published the 2024 Environmental Performance Index, ranking 180 countries on their progress towards goals on climate change, biodiversity and sustainability. The index uses 58 indicators to track progress and shows that, overall, countries are lagging. See the press release or the full analysis.

Mexico’s election: Mexico’s newly-elected president, Claudia Sheinbaum, is a former member of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. She has pledged big investments in renewable energy but, as Daisy Clague reports, there are doubts about her close ties to current pro-fossil fuel President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.

US policy: The US government published its National Ocean Biodiversity Strategy. It focuses on coordination of ocean research and conservation, making data available to decision-makers and partnerships for ocean protection and restoration — see the press release.

In The Spotlight

Sean Cummings reported on scientists’ concerns about the ecological consequences of mass die-offs of sea urchins, a phenomenon that has spread rapidly from the Caribbean to the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean.
Andrew S. Lewis wrote about how an invasive crab species, climate change and the economic repercussions of Russia's invasion of Ukraine changed the fortunes of a dying fishing community in Norway.
Karl Mathiesen reported on the behind-the-scenes political battles over climate and nature laws in the European Green Deal, and the tricky path ahead for European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen whose support for the package is now in doubt.
Ted Williams wrote about snake-killing contests in the United States where some rattlesnake roundups persist despite a generational shift in public opinion.
Abhaya Raj Joshi reported from a hotspot of human-wildlife conflict in Nepal, where a vulnerable community is surrounded by protected areas that are home to tigers, leopards and elephants.
Stephen Moss wrote about the boom in bird tourism in Ecuador, where some landowners are finding it profitable to convert their farms into mini nature reserves.

Tips And Resources

The Earth Journalism Network published ‘Covering the Planet: Assessing the State of Climate and Environmental Journalism Globally’ — read the summary or the full report.
Mongabay has a webinar on 13 June on how to cover planetary health — register here.
CIFOR explained 16 key sustainable forestry terms.
Simas Gradeckas shared updates to his database of biodiversity credit schemes.
WWF launched a six-part podcast on ocean conservation called Breaking Waves — find the first and future episodes here.
The Earth Negotiations Bulletin published a useful glossary of terms and acronyms used in the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change negotiations and beyond.

See past editions for more tips and resources.

A report by economists at the UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre says investment in nature-related sustainability goals could deliver returns more than 20 times greater.
Citizen scientists in the Bolivian capital La Paz observed 5,352 species in just four days.
Ahead of the UK’s general election, the Environmental Investigation Agency published its policy recommendations on nature, climate and pollution.
The Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) announced three co-chairs who will lead a two-year assessment on monitoring of biodiversity and nature’s contributions to people.
IPBES has translated the Summary for Policymakers of its Invasive Alien Species Assessment Report into all UN languages.
Chee Meng Tan explains why Malaysia’s proposed orangutan diplomacy differs from China’s panda diplomacy.
Sergio Colombo reported that over 40 percent of securities held by French financial institutions and nearly 20 percent of Japan’s market capitalization are exposed to nature-related risks.
Joshua Elves-Powell wrote about what is behind South Korea’s success at tackling the illegal trade in tiger parts.
In Mexico, scientists and farmers are restoring Aztec-era floating farms that house endangered axolotls, reports Aminetth Sánchez.
Environmental organizations BLOOM and ClientEarth are taking legal action against France for allowing bottom trawling of its marine protected areas despite a Europe-wide ban — see ClientEarth’s explainer of why bottom trawling is bad for the environment.
The Guardian excerpted Jessica Camille Aguirre’s staggering story about the biggest ever carbon trading scam — read the full version published by The Atavist here.
Hakai published an excerpt of Amorina Kingdon’s new book on how underwater noise affects marine species and ecosystems.
The European Commission announced the winners of its awards for successful conservation initiatives in protected areas that are part of the Natura 2000 network

From The Journals

Marine protected areas can increase numbers of problematic invasive lionfish — read the full paper.
Biophobia: What it is, how it works and why it matters — read the full paper and related papers in the same issue.
Intensive snare removal in protected areas is a key conservation measure but it is costly and cannot succeed on its own — see the press release of the full paper.
Climate change may reveal currently unavailable parts of species’ ecological niches — see the press release or the full paper.
An increase in humpback whale strandings off the eastern United States is due to vessel strikes not offshore wind power infrastructure — read the full paper.
Asian forests recover well after disturbance — see the press release or the full paper.
A sea-living fungus breaks down plastic exposed to sunlight — see the press release or the full paper.
Researchers mapped over 12 million hectares of abandoned farmland in the United States that could be used for solar farming, growing energy crops or restoring to natural ecosystems — see the press release or the full paper.
How rapid urbanization and dietary shifts are affecting food systems and biodiversity in Africa — read the full paper.

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Jobs And Opportunities

Climate Tracker has fellowships to report on the COP16 UN Biodiversity Conference in Colombia. Journalists in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Panama and Peru can apply — deadline 23 June.
Mongabay launched a scholarship opportunity for journalists interested in telling impact stories about what is happening in the seas of Chile, Mexico and Peru — apply here by 21 June.
The European Commission’s Lorenzo Natali Prize is open for entrants. Journalists reporting on issues including climate change, environment and energy can submit their work — deadline 30 June.
The European Journalism Centre’s Climate Journalism Awards are open for entries — deadline 5 July.
Axios seeks an energy/climate policy reporter — no deadline stated.
The New Lede is hiring an environmental news reporter — no deadline stated.
European journalists can apply to join Clean Energy Wire’s Summer Academy on climate journalism and energy transition — deadline 1 July.
The CEI SEEMO Award for Outstanding Merits in Investigative Journalism 2024 is open for entries focused on agriculture/food security, environment or health — deadline 31 July.
Journalismfund has grants for organizations providing training and professional development for environmental journalism — deadline 10 October.
Solutions Journalism Without Borders announced its 2025 retreats in Vietnam and Guatemala. There is some financial aid available and journalists who live in the host countries can access the programs for free — deadlines 1 September (Vietnam) and 15 November (Guatemala).

Bonus content: There are 33 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

6 June 2024: The GLF Peatlands 2024 hybrid conference has the theme ‘The Climate Solution We Forgot’ and focuses on conserving, managing and restoring these ecosystems. Register here to attend online or in person.

7-8 June 2024: A high-level event, co-hosted by France and Costa Rica ahead of the UN Ocean Conference in 2025, will take place in San José, Costa Rica.

12-15 June 2024: The 11th Pan-Amazonian Social Forum (FOSPA) takes place in Bolivia.

16-21 June 2024: The World Biodiversity Forum will take place in Davos, Switzerland.

17-21 June 2024: The 7th European Congress of Conservation Biology — theme: ‘Biodiversity positive by 2030’ — takes place in Bologna, Italy.

Bonus content: The full calendar for Global 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 fairy bluebird. Photo credit: Nathan Rupert / 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.