Nature Beat #60

Updates, stories, resources and opportunities

Apr 11, 2025

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.

This edition covers successful operations against pangolin and tiger traffickers, concerns over a huge development in India, investigations of wildlife die-offs, a round-up of news from around the world, journalism tips, links to new research papers, and much more.

Taking The Pulse

Pangolin bust: Some bittersweet news for embattled pangolins, the world’s most trafficked animals. Customs officials in Nigeria arrested five suspects and seized 3.8 tonnes of pangolin scales, representing an estimated 1,900 poached pangolins — see the press release from the Wildlife Justice Commission (WJC), which supported the operation. It follows the arrest in Nigeria, announced last week, of a suspected trafficking kingpin from China. Since 2001, the WJC and the Nigeria Customs Service have done 18 joint operations, leading to 12 convictions and the seizure of more than 25 tonnes of pangolin scales and one tonne of ivory. The WJC links these operations with the lack of significant seizures of African pangolin scales at seaports in the past three years, saying that this shows that international trafficking routes are being disrupted.

Deep change: “Rotten roots produce rotten fruits” — with this metaphor, the authors of the 2025 Interconnected Disaster Risks Report are highlighting the need to tackle the root causes of modern crises, rather than just their symptoms. The report was published on 9 April by the United Nations University’s Institute for Environment and Human Security. It presents a ‘theory of deep change’ with five elements: rethinking waste, realignment with nature, collective responsibility, long-term policymaking and shift to valuing planetary health over economic wealth. See the press release.

Greening of Paris: On 8 April, the Council of Paris approved the city’s new biodiversity plan. It includes greening and pedestrianizing 500 streets, creating new wetlands and restoring natural riverbanks along the River Seine. Under the plan, Paris will be the world’s first capital city to measure and report on its impacts on biodiversity. Read the plan here in French, or find an English summary here by the deputy mayor of Paris, Christophe Najdovski.

Australian election: With a federal election coming on 3 May, Guardian Australia’s environment and climate editor Adam Morton has written about how political and media indifference to the state of nature is at odds with the views of most Australians and with the scale of threats to the country’s biodiversity. Ahead of the election, The Guardian Australia is running a special series on endangered species — with stories on yellow-bellied gliders, black cockatoos, bogong moths, a bum-breathing turtle and more.

In The Spotlight

Scientists tracing the steps of a colonial-era expedition in northeast India found a rich variety of species under pressure from new threats, reports Simrin Sirur.
Indonesian journalists Junaidi Hanafiah, Rahmi Carolina and Vinolia reported on a recent spate of tiger trapping and trafficking thwarted by law enforcement officers.
Orji Sunday wrote about a married pair of Nigerian conservation biologists on a mission to understand and save their country’s bats.

In Focus: A Planned Catastrophe?

Historian Ramachandra Guha says India’s national media are ignoring an environmental disaster unfolding on Great Nicobar Island, where the central government plans to build an airport, seaport and town. He says the development would clear swathes of biodiverse forest, destroy nesting grounds of endangered sea turtles, and harm the island’s indigenous Shompen and Nicobarese tribal communities. Guha says the government bodies mandated to protect the environment and indigenous rights have failed.

Rishika Pardikar is one of the few journalists to have visited Great Nicobar to cover the story. She reported this week that the development project’s documents do not recognize tribal villages and hunting areas, as there has never been a systematic government effort to map such areas in the island’s rainforests. She also reports that the required social impact assessment only covered a small part of the overall project and did not consider impacts on the two tribes.

Tips And Resources

BirdLife International says its new DataZone is set to become “the go-to resource for researchers and journalists covering bird conservation, biodiversity, and the climate crisis”.
Christian Elliott has some advice for journalists covering the impacts of the US government’s deep cuts to science funding.
On 15 April, the Pulitzer Center has a webinar on how to investigate the carbon market in Africa — register here.
Vita Rastegaeva wrote about five ways science journalists can use artificial intelligence.
Here are five pieces of advice on covering climate change that Christiana Figueres, former head of the UN climate change convention, shared with the Reuters Institute’s Oxford Climate Journalism Network.
Carbon Brief published a glossary explaining what China means by ‘ecological civilization’, ‘two mountains’ theory and other terms relating to climate and environmental policy.

See past editions for more tips and resources.

The World Resources Institute published a report recommending five strategies for tackling illegal mining, logging, fishing, wildlife trade and land grabbing — see the accompanying commentary by Charles Barber and Luke Foddy.
Western Pacific nations launched joint scientific initiatives to protect ocean biodiversity.
Jiang Mengnan wrote about the significance of China issuing its first green sovereign bonds on the London Stock Exchange.
Ana Yang calls for nuanced coverage of Brazil’s environmental policy instead of ‘angel’ or ‘devil’ narratives.
Sean Mowbray reported on a recent study that said vultures provide services worth US$1.8 billion annually in southern Africa.
Farmland bird populations declined in 22 of the 27 member countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development monitored in the past decade, according to a new OECD report on environmental performance in agriculture.
The freeze of US foreign aid has caused turmoil for reforestation and forest restoration projects around the world, reports Marina Martinez.
The European Environment Agency published a briefing on how to strengthen society’s engagement in support of nature.
In a survey by YouGov, large majorities of UK respondents said the government and private companies should be doing more to protect nature.
Akinwumi Adesina, outgoing president of the African Development Bank, says foreign companies are underpaying for carbon credits from African forests.
India's Supreme Court ordered a halt to clearance of a biodiverse urban forest in Telangana following protests by students and civil society groups, reports Ayesha Minhaz.
Marina Bolotnikova explains that despite what a biotech company claims, it has not “de-extincted” the dire wolf.
The global biodiversity and natural capital credit market is growing fast and is projected to reach US$37.55 billion by 2032, says a new report.
Dumping wood and crop waste in the ocean is not a climate solution, say James Kerry and Lisa Levin.
An outbreak of anthrax has killed 50 hippos and other large animals in a national park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Coining a grim new phrase for the Anthropocene, Daniela Sepulveda and Angélica Arellano wrote about ‘sacrifice zones’ of environmental injustice.

In Focus: Investigating Die-Offs

“You shouldn’t see a whale’s shoulder blades,”… Susanne Rust reported on a concerning rise in deaths of grey whales — at least 70 have died this year in their breeding waters off Mexico’s Baja California and scientists are not sure why.

Scientists are also unsure about what has caused a major die-off of freshwater mussels in the southeastern United States, the global centre of diversity for these species. As Jim Robbins, reports the mussels provide vital ecosystem service by filtering up to 20 gallons of water each per day. They are harmed by pollution, climate change, habitat loss, and invasive species, but the root cause of their recent decline is unknown.

Scientists have got more answers about recent die-offs of manatees and dolphins in Florida’s Indian River Lagoon. When dead manatees began washing ashore in 2021, researchers soon concluded the animals had starved to death. As Zachary T. Sampson, Shreya Vuttaluru and Bethany Barnes report, hundreds of manatees died this way over the next two years.

Decades of water pollution from agriculture and industry had destroyed their seagrass food. The journalists investigated the state of Florida’s waterways and found that 1 in 4 had “alarming levels” of pollution, which in many cases is getting worse over time.

Pollution in the Indian River Lagoon also contributed to the deaths of 8 percent of the bottlenose dolphin population there in 2013. Research published this week shows that pollution-linked algal blooms altered the habitat for fish, forcing the dolphins’ diet to shift towards a species that provided them with less energy. The researchers conclude that the dolphins were struggling to catch enough fish, and this led many to die of malnutrition — see the press release.

From The Journals

Half of the world’s mangrove forests face high to severe risk from tropical cyclones linked to climate change — read the full paper.
A 76-country study shows that, on average, governments allocate nearly three times as much public funding to nature-negative sectors than nature-positive ones — read the full paper.
An estimated 100 million kilograms of wild animal meat are wasted through unsustainable snaring practices every year in Africa — read the full paper.
How much more carbon could be protected in mature and old-growth forests of the United States? — read the full paper.
The Caspian Sea’s rapidly declining water level threatens ecosystem integrity, biodiversity protection and human infrastructure — read the full paper.

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Jobs And Opportunities

Gizmodo is hiring a science reporter — no deadline listed.
Earth Island Journal is hiring an associate editor — rolling deadline.
Sky News is hiring a senior news editor – science, climate and technology — no deadline listed.
The Virginia Mercury is hiring an energy and environment reporter — rolling deadline.
Propose a session at the World Conference of Science Journalists in Pretoria, South Africa — deadline 21 April.
Dialogue Earth is hiring a social media officer — deadline 1 May.
The Raleigh News & Observer is hiring a climate and environment reporter — no deadline listed.
Science journalism and climate change reporting are among the categories in the Online Journalism Awards — submit work here by 15 May.
The 7th Biophilia Award is open for entries — deadline 30 May.

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.

On The Horizon

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.

5–7 May: The IUCN World Commission on Environmental Law (WCEL) will host the 4th IUCN WCEL World Environmental Law Congress in Rabat, Morocco.

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 black mangabey. Photo credit: Eric Kilby / 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.