Nature Beat #40

Updates, stories, resources and opportunities

Aug 27, 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

Biodiversity action plans: The nearly 200 countries that are parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) are supposed to be aligning their national biodiversity strategies and action plans (NBSAPs) with the goals and targets of the Global Biodiversity Framework, which they adopted in 2022.

Parties agreed to update their NBSAPs ahead of COP16 — October’s 16th Conference of Parties to the CBD. But so far under ten percent of them have. On 22 August, Carbon Brief updated its tracker to include details of Malaysia’s NBSAP alongside those of 13 other countries and the European Union. Last week, South Korea became the latest country to submit its NBSAP — see Sergio Colombo’s story for details of what it contains.

COP16 and Indigenous Peoples: The Government of Colombia has committed to strengthen participation in nature conservation by Indigenous Peoples of the Amazon. The move sends an important signal ahead of COP16 — which Colombia will host from 21 October to 1 November. As Giada Ferraglioni reports, Colombia has committed to work with Indigenous Peoples during COP16 to increase the flow of finance and other resources towards them. Colombia also pledged that, by 2030, it will recognize Indigenous territories as conservation areas and will use information from Indigenous Peoples when developing conservation policies.

In The Spotlight

Abhaya Raj Joshi wrote about what the curious case of a buffalo killing a tiger reveals about Nepal’s system for compensating victims of human-wildlife conflict.
Ruth Maclean and Caleb Kabanda talked to SEJournal about the logistics and craft involved in reporting from remote areas in the Democratic Republic of the Congo for their award-winning multimedia story about the communities protecting peatland forests there.
Graeme Green reports on a project by nongovernmental organization Cool Earth, which is testing whether providing a ‘no-strings’ basic income to Indigenous communities can improve lives and protect rainforest.
Ogechi Ekeanyanwu interviewed Fidele Ntie-Kang of the University of Buea in Cameroon about his research using artificial intelligence and traditional medicine to develop new pharmaceutical products derived from African biodiversity.

Tips And Resources

On 25 September, the Walkley Foundation is hosting a webinar to help journalists refresh their climate coverage — register here.
The Brazilian Network of Environmental Journalism’s annual congress takes place in Fortaleza on 19-21 September, with main sessions also livestreamed on YouTube — register here by 19 September.

See past editions for more tips and resources.

Local authorities in Scotland are using money meant for nature restoration to settle pay disputes, reports Kathleen Nutt.
Australia’s government has been accused of trying to bury bad news about the state of the Great Barrier Reef, reports Graham Readfearn.
The UN Environment Programme Finance Initiative says the G20 should guide the development of a high-integrity biodiversity credit market, reports Thomas Cox.
Two notorious traffickers of rhino horn received prison sentences of 27 and 24 years in Mozambique.
Scientists say China's plans to expand mangrove forests into tidal mudflats will replace important ecosystems and that restoration should instead take place in aquaculture ponds where mangroves were deforested.
The US Fish and Wildlife Service announced it will spend nearly US$20 million on four groups of endangered species.
Whistleblowers speaking to Mongabay have reported cases of poaching in Tanzania linked to a luxury hunting firm based in the United Arab Emirates.
Caitlin L. Chandler wrote about what neuroscience is revealing about how time spent in nature can influence our stress levels.
Poachers in Malaysia are infiltrating birdwatching groups to target rare species.
Anastasia Moloney and Andre Cabette Fabio wrote about the prospects for a new US-backed initiative to disrupt illicit financial flows from nature crimes such as illegal logging and mining in the Amazon rainforest.
Fermín Koop interviewed conservationist Maximiliano Bello about Chile’s emergence as a global leader in ocean protection.
The International Consortium on Combating Wildlife Crime launched its annual report for 2023.
Campaigners are petitioning the Church of England to rewild 30 percent of its vast landholdings.

From The Journals

A review of 1,500 climate policy measures from 41 countries shows that most have been ineffective and highlights the need for tax and price incentives — read the press release or the full paper.
Antarctica is susceptible to invasive species arriving on floating debris from all land masses in the Southern hemisphere — read the press release or the full paper.
Assessments of fish stocks worldwide have overestimated the abundance of fish and how quickly stocks could recover — read the full paper or the accompanying commentary paper.
The extent to which people and wildlife overlap in time and space is set to increase on more than half of the planet’s land area by 2070 — read the press release or the full paper.
How whales, turtles and sharks could carry conservation finance to countries that need it — read the press release or the full paper.
A research approach showing that Australia’s environmental laws are failing to slow deforestation can be applied around the world — read the press release or the full paper.

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Jobs And Opportunities

CENOZO is offering training on climate change to journalists in West and Central Africa — apply by 30 August.
The New Lede invites experienced freelancers to pitch environmental stories.
Journalists in Rwanda can apply for training on environmental journalism — deadline 12 September.
Apply here for Vital Impacts Environmental Photography Grants — deadline 15 September.
‘Excellence in environmental journalism’ is one of the categories for the Fetisov Journalism Awards — apply here by 15 September.
Journalists in the Mekong region can apply for a media-research collaboration fellowship on environmental reporting — deadline 15 September.
The Southern Environmental Law Center invites nominations for the 2025 Phillip D. Reed Environmental Writing Award, for stories about the environment of the southern United States — deadline 1 October.

Bonus content: There are 27 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

25-31 August 2024: The 12th World Wilderness Congress (WILD12) takes place in the Black Hills of South Dakota, United States.

28-29 August: The EU Dialogue on developing national biodiversity strategies and action plans takes place in Brussels, Belgium.

3-5 September 2024: IUCN's Asia Regional Conservation Forum takes place in Bangkok, Thailand.

5-6 September: The 5th Global Climate and Sustainable Development Goals Synergy Conference takes place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Bonus content: The full calendar for Global Nature Beat’s supporters includes 45 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 blue heron. Photo credit: Shannon Kringen / 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.