Nature Beat #33

Updates, stories, resources and opportunities

Jun 21, 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 Nature Restoration Law: After months of controversy and delay, the European Union has approved its landmark Nature Restoration Law. The World Resources Institute called the law’s adoption “a pivotal victory for Europe’s people, nature and climate”.

The law requires the 27 EU member states to restore 20 percent of degraded land and sea areas by 2030 and all degraded ecosystems by 2050. Member states must also improve urban green spaces, removal artificial barriers in rivers, increase pollinator populations and plant a total of three billion trees. See the Council of the EU’s press release for full details. As Arthur Neslen reports, the areas that the law prioritizes for restoration should have been restored already under existing legislation.

The law was given its final approval on 17 June, when a qualified majority of EU environment ministers voted in its favour. Louise Guillot tells the dramatic story of how the law was only approved because Austria's environment minister Leonore Gewessler changed her country’s vote at the last moment — going against her coalition government's intention to abstain.

Gewessler is from the Green Party. She infuriated Austria’s head of government, Chancellor Karl Nehammer of the conservative People’s Party, who tried to cancel Gewessler’s vote. But Gewessler is confident in her legal standing to act as she did, and the EU Council has confirmed that the vote result will stand. As Natasha Foote explains, there is little chance the decision to approve the law will be reversed.

Austria’s was not the only vote with a backstory — Karl Mathiesen and Louise Guillot report that Slovakia voted for the law in return for the European Commission's approval of a controversial Slovak law allowing the government to issue permits for shooting bears that approach settlements.

Canada’s biodiversity strategy: The government of Canada published a national biodiversity strategy and related legislation. The Nature Accountability Act would require the government to report on its progress towards commitments in the Global Biodiversity Framework — see the press release. Greenpeace says the proposed act should be amended so that it enshrines Canada’s international commitments into law.

Missing money: In 2022, developed countries that are parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity committed to provide developing nations with US$20 billion a year, by 2025, to address biodiversity loss. New research by the Overseas Development Institute shows that most of the rich countries are not paying their fair share. Norway and Sweden have exceeded their share, closely followed by Germany and France. The biggest laggards are Japan, the United Kingdom, Italy, Canada, South Korea and Spain. See the press release, the full report and its summary in multiple languages or case studies on biodiversity finance in Mexico, Namibia and Nepal.

GEF: The Global Environment Facility's governing body approved more than US$700 in funding for projects aimed at addressing climate change, biodiversity loss and land degradation. See the press release and the full list of approved projects.

In The Spotlight

Phoebe Weston reported on an attempt to save a rare bird from extinction by releasing millions of mosquitoes.
Becca Warner wrote about how Ecuador and other countries are giving rights to nature and what this means in practical reality.
Benji Jones and Byrd Pinkerton interviewed environmental economist Amy Ando about how — and why — to put a price tag on the services nature provides.

Tips And Resources

Covering Climate Now published its Climate Change Reporting 101 guide for journalists — it is available in Spanish too.
Regina Lam and Jessica Aldred have updated their explainer on the debate over deep-sea mining — dive in here.
The Solutions Journalism Network invites journalists covering climate change to join its peer network, which meets monthly on Zoom.
The Global Investigative Journalism Network has a webinar on 9 July on illegal mining, deforestation and related issues in Latin America.

See past editions for more tips and resources.

In Focus: Wildlife Trafficking in South America

Reporting from Brazil, Carla Ruas wrote about how wildlife trafficking has evolved from straightforward smuggling to the laundering of illicit wildlife products and live animals into legal trade. It’s a story of corruption, counterfeiting and organized crime.

Eduardo Franco Berton investigated the illegal trade in river turtles and their eggs from the Bolivian Amazon. His in-depth story cover the routes smugglers use to reach buyers in Brazil and Peru, the challenges facing law enforcement and how rangers and scientists are trying to bolster wild turtle populations with hatchlings raised from eggs seized from poachers and traffickers — read his story in English, Spanish or Portuguese.

What Caught My Eye

Antony Sguazzin reports that South Africa aims to restart trade in rhino horn after a five-decade hiatus, under a proposal in a draft plan released for public comment on 18 June.
Molly McCluskey wrote about projects trying to boost pollinator numbers in cities around the world.
Warren Cornwall reported on a proposal to allow countries to trade their ocean conservation obligations and slash costs by up to 98 percent.
Amy Li Baksh reported from Trinidad where people are using a species of grass called vetiver to prevent erosion and landslides.
After 20 years of conservation in Spain and Portugal, the Iberian lynx is no longer endangered but is still vulnerable, reports Sam Jones.
A report from TRAFFIC shows that shark fins, sea cucumbers, seahorses, fish maw, and abalone are being traded illegally on major online platforms in South Africa.
Gloria Pallares and colleagues at CIFOR produced a visually stunning tour through the world’s largest rainforests.
Australia's government has allocated A$28.5 million (c. US$19 million) to 18 projects restoring coastal habitats on and around the Great Barrier Reef.
Mike Gaworecki wrote about the effectiveness of partnerships between the European Union and tropical countries to tackle illegal logging and improve forest governance.
Textured tiles could help endangered eels overcome river barriers as they migrate.
Environmental economist Robert Constanza and the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Panel on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) have won the 2024 Blue Planet Prize.

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From The Journals

Scientists published a global list of 126 'lost bird' species that have not been seen or recorded for more than ten years — read the press release or the full paper.
People’s support for trophy hunting in Africa increases if they perceive it will provide funding for conservation or other benefits — read the full paper.
Invasive rats are eating critically endangered lizards that live only on Tenerife in the Canary Islands — read the full paper.
Commercial crop seeds lack the genetic diversity needed to cope with a changing climate — read the press release or the full paper.
Insecticides have driven declines of butterfly numbers and diversity in the US Midwest — read the press release or the full paper.
Researchers urge countries with tigers to boost ranger numbers and improve working conditions — read the full paper.
Most research modelling prospects for endangered species fails to factor in changing human activities — read the press release or the full paper.

In Focus: Great Green Wall

The Great Green Wall initiative aims to restore 100 million hectares of degraded land across an 8,000-kilometre expanse of Africa’s Sahel region by 2030. Since 2007, it has restored 30 million hectares and created three million jobs. But as Simon Jessop and Alessandra Prentice report, it is unlikely to meet its overall goal.

That’s according to Alain Richard Donwahi, the current President of the Conference of Parties to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification. Challenges include inadequate finance, including a failure of international donors to deliver billions of dollars they pledged in 2021. While the Global Environment Facility board approved close to US$80 million for the Great Green Wall this week, it is small change compared to what rich countries have promised.

Jobs And Opportunities

Brazilian newspaper Folha de S. Paulo is accepting applications for its Science and Health Reporting Training Program — deadline 23 June.
The Earthshot Prize has a six-week paid internship for a trainer climate storyteller — deadline 30 June.
The Earth Journalism Network has fellowships for journalists who want to report on the COP16 UN biodiversity conference in Colombia — deadline 6 July.
The Washington Post is hiring an editor for its Instagram climate account — deadline 14 July.
Applications are open for the 2025 Asia Foundation Development Fellows: Emerging Leaders for Climate Action — journalists and others can apply by 29 July.
Mongabay has fellowships for journalists from tropical biodiversity hotspots — apply by 10 August.
Early-career investigative journalists can apply for the nine-month Sir Harry Evans Global Fellowship with Durham University and Reuters.

Bonus content: There are 38 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

23-28 June 2024: The North American Congress for Conservation Biology takes place in Vancouver, Canada.

23-29 June 2024: The 26th World Congress of the International Union of Forest Research Organizations takes place in Stockholm, Sweden.

24-25 June 2024: The British Ecological Society’s annual symposium takes place in Birmingham, United Kingdom with the theme ‘Resilient Landscapes for People, Nature and Climate’.

24-26 June 2024: The Canada-Mexico-US Commission for Environmental Cooperation meets in Wilmington.

25-26 June 2024: The Oslo Tropical Forest Forum takes place in Oslo, Norway.

26-28 June 2024: IUCN's Africa Regional Conservation Forum takes place in Nairobi, Kenya.

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 box turtle. Photo credit: Lunamom58 / Flickr — Creative Commons