Nature Beat #58
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
Saving forests: Two reports launched together on 20 March lay out how to halt deforestation and restore forests by 2030 — a goal agreed four years ago by more than 140 countries that backed the Glasgow Leaders’ Declaration on Forests and Land Use. The first report outlines eight priority actions for governments, emphasizing improved governance, trade partnerships for deforestation-free commodities, recognition of community land rights and redirection of forest-harming subsidies. The second report focuses on the financial mechanisms needed, including reforms to multilateral finance, debt restructuring and investment strategies. The reports were produced by the Forest Declaration Assessment, a coalition of civil society and research organizations — see the press release.
Water pollution: WWF and Globescan surveyed 30,000 people in 31 countries and found that water pollution is their top environmental concern. Sixty percent of respondents said they were affected by both water pollution and water shortages — see the full report, press release or the survey data by country and territory. The research also surveyed 350 experts. Although they ranked water pollution fifth in their assessment of environmental issues — behind climate change, biodiversity loss, depletion of natural resources and deforestation — a large majority (69%) said water pollution is “very serious”.
Biodiversity loss: One of the largest ever studies of the impacts of human activities on biodiversity was published on 26 March. The authors drew data from more than 2,000 research papers that compared nearly 50,000 human-affected sites with unaffected places. They conclude that habitat changes, direct exploitation such as hunting, climate change, pollution and invasive species are all having big effects on biodiversity, in all types of organisms and all ecosystems. Human pressures are reducing the number of species and changing which species are present or absent — read the press release or the full paper. In related news, two new reports from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization highlight the loss of genetic diversity in forests and food plants.
Greenpeace fine: A jury in the United States has decided that Greenpeace must pay US$660 million to an oil company that accused the environmental organization of defamation and inciting protests against its Dakota Access pipeline. Paying would likely bankrupt Greenpeace’s US operation. As Isabella Kaminksi reports, there are concerns in the climate justice movement that the case will encourage polluters to use similar lawsuits to stifle opposition and intimidate organizations into silence. Trial monitors say Greenpeace’s trial was unfair. As Rachel Leingang and Nina Lakhani report, more than half of the jury members had ties to the fossil fuel industry. Greenpeace denies the claims and will appeal the decision.
In The Spotlight
Patrick Barkham wrote about what human medicine can learn from wild animals that self-medicate.
A reporter at Oxpeckers spoke with a rhino poacher and a smuggler about how corrupt law enforcement officials and park rangers enable illegal trade in rhino horns from South Africa.
Sierra Garcia wrote about how Peruvian cockfighters affect the prospects of an endangered sawfish.
Alice Martins Morais, Ivan Carrillo and Kalain Hosein teamed up to write about the impacts of huge carpets of sargassum seaweed choking coastal waters and beaches in Brazil, Mexico and Trinidad and Tobago.
Tips And Resources
Island Conservation relaunched its Database of Island Invasive Species Eradications.
Joseph A. Davis wrote a tip-sheet about accessing environmental data from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
Staying with the OECD, it is releasing its Ocean Economy to 2050 report on 31 March — see the press release.
Zoe Chernova shared some useful AI tools for science writers.
See past editions for more tips and resources.
What Caught My Eye
The United States declared a major climate-related disaster on average every four days last year, a 64 percent increase over the long-term trend, says the International Institute for Environment and Development.
An Africa-wide map of the relative abundance of different forms of the element strontium can help identify the origins of wild animals and their parts confiscated from the illegal wildlife trade, says Nikki Tagg of Born Free.
The Trump Administration cancelled a US$75 million initiative to plant shade trees in around 100 cities, reports Eva Tesfaye.
Chris Lang covered critiques of Brazil’s planned Tropical Forests Forever Facility.
The International Council on Mining and Metals — whose members are major mining companies — published guidance to help the sector to protect and restore biodiversity.
Patrick Greenfield reports that people living near a national park in Malawi are taking legal action against the International Fund for Animal Welfare, saying that elephants that the organization moved there have killed ten people.
Investors launched an initiative to encourage major clothing and textiles companies to reduce their impacts on biodiversity.
Devapriya Chattopadhyay asks a good question: Why does India still not have a natural history museum?
Financial institutions launched a bond that will allocate US$75 million for biodiversity conservation and restoration projects in Brazil.
By 2030, thousands of satellites will be burning-up in the stratosphere every year, with potentially significant impacts on the ozone layer and our climate, say Minkwan Kim and Ian Williams.
A new public-private partnership in Ghana aims to fund environmental restoration and generate US$10 billion over 25 years from high-quality carbon credits.
Spoorthy Raman interviewed researcher Alice Hughes about her calls for greater monitoring and regulation of the legal trade in wildlife — see Hughes’s latest paper on this subject.
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Podcast Corner
Subhra Priyadarshini presents an episode of Nature India’s Biolore podcast on invasive plant species that are reshaping India’s ecology and local economies.
On the Mongabay podcast, Mike DiGirolamo spoke with Adam Morton — the environment editor at The Guardian Australia — about the country’s backtracking on nature-positive commitments.
From The Journals
Hurricane-damaged mangroves soon recover their lost carbon content — read the full paper.
Another argument against monoculture plantations: Tree diversity helps reduce heat peaks in forests — read the press release or the full paper.
How to ensure that forest restoration boosts biodiversity and not just tree cover — read the full paper.
Iguanas illegally captured from the Galapagos Islands are being laundered into international trade — read the press release or the full paper.
The loss of great white sharks from a bay in South Africa led to declines in smaller fish by allowing predators of these fish to thrive — read the press release or the full paper.
Global hotspots of butterfly diversity are threatened in a warming world — read the full paper.
In Focus: Glacial Retreat
Rapid melting of the world’s glaciers due to global warming threatens the food and water supplies for two billion people, according to the UN’s World Water Development Report released on 21 March, the first World Day for Glaciers.
Qianggong Zhang, director of the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, wrote about the grave situation in the Himalayan region.
Hugh Kinsella Cunningham reported from Uganda about how the rapidly melting Margherita glacier on Mount Stanley is increasing flood risks for downstream communities.
In the Andes mountains of South America, glaciers are shrinking 35 percent faster than the global average, threatening water supplies for 90 million people.
In the Arctic, new research shows that retreating glaciers exposed 2,500 km of new coastline between 2000 and 2020 — see the full paper.
Jobs And Opportunities
Bloomberg is hiring a climate reporter in Hong Kong — no deadline listed.
The Pulitzer Center has grants for data-driven journalism on underreported topics.
Journalists from Madagascar, Comoros, Seychelles, Mauritius and Djibouti can apply for UNESCO training on climate change in May 2025 — apply here.
Covering Climate Now invites journalists everywhere to submit work for its 2025 Journalism Awards — deadline 31 March.
Journalists from the United States and Ireland can apply for a year-long fellowship on mental health impacts of climate change — deadline 2 April.
Bonus content: There are 20 jobs, grants, fellowships and other opportunities listed here for Global Nature Beat’s paying supporters. Paid subscriptions are less than £1 per week.
On The Horizon
17-28 March: The 30th Session of the International Seabed Authority Assembly and Council (Part I) takes place in Kingston, Jamaica.
23-26 April 2025: The annual meeting of the Society of Environmental Journalists takes place at Arizona State University.
24–25 April: GLF Forests 2025: Defining the Next Decade of Action takes place online and in-person in Bonn, Germany.
28 April – 9 May: The 2025 Meetings of the Conference of the Parties to the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions take place in Geneva, Switzerland.
Bonus content: The full calendar for Global Nature Beat’s supporters includes nature-related intergovernmental negotiations, scientific conferences, report launches, and other events up until 2026.
Whose Eye Was It?
The eye belongs to a leopard gecko. Photo credit: Liliana Saeb / 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.
Thank you to mention me :)
Another great collection. The retreat of the cryosphere is deeply troubling and personally makes me very sad.