Nature Beat #70
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.
Taking The Pulse
Plastics: Ahead of next month’s negotiations toward a global treaty on plastics, the United States has come out against measures to control the source of the problem: plastic production. As Matteo Civillini reports, the US government has aligned with major fossil fuel producers to demand that the treaty focuses instead on reducing pollution. Next week, Chatham House is hosting a panel discussion on the treaty talks, with speakers including the chair of the negotiations Luis Vayas Valdivieso — register here to attend in-person or online.
EU nature markets: The European Commission launched a 'Roadmap towards Nature Credits' to incentivise investments into actions that protect and preserve nature — see press release. As Philippa Nuttall reports, the plan is unclear about how a market for nature credits would operate, making the business case for investment questionable.
CITES: The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) turned 50-years-old on 1 July. Its secretary-general Ivonne Higuero reflected on five decades in which CITES has grown to regulate trade in more than 40,000 species. On 4 July, the CITES secretariat published the full list of changes to species protections that parties to the convention have proposed ahead of their conference later this year.
Amazon: Civil society organizations, research centres and others have presented the Brazilian government with an action plan for attracting new investments for the conservation, restoration and sustainable development of the Amazon.
EU Deforestation Regulation: Agriculture ministers from 18 of the European Union’s 27 member states have called for another delay to the EU Deforestation Regulation’s entry into force, report Kate Abnett and Julia Payne. The law is intended to prevent trade in commodities produced on deforested land. Reuters reported that chocolate maker Mondelez — whose brands include Cadbury and Toblerone — has also called for a one-year delay.
Dispatch From Planet Ficus
New research shows that wild fig species in Kenya turn partially to stone, locking away carbon effectively forever and boosting soil health — making them prime candidates for agroforestry and reforestation initiatives.
I tell the story over at my other newsletter Planet Ficus, where my mission is to blow your minds with stories about the world’s most fascinating plants — the strangler figs and their kin, which have shaped our world and our species in profound ways. If that sounds interesting, please subscribe or check out the new story below.
In The Spotlight
Mushroom foraging tours made popular by social media are a hot trend in China's Yunnan Province but they threaten fragile ecosystems, write Li Xin and Yang Xinrui.
Toxic toads from South Asia are causing ecological harm in places as far away as Madagascar and Indonesia, reports GBSNP Varma.
The Serrapilheira Institute and the Latin American Center for Investigative Journalism (CLIP) launched a collection of stories by journalists reporting on biodiversity in six countries in the Amazon Basin.
Jason Dinh spent time with rubber tappers in the Amazon to explore whether moves to build a bioeconomy can save the rainforest.
Warren Cornwall covered new research showing how declines in numbers of scavengers like vultures and hyenas threaten human and ecological health.
Tips And Resources
Katie Burke wrote about how to cover bird flu from an ecological angle.
The Conversation published a glossary of climate finance terminology.
On 11 July, the US Geological Survey has a webinar on how climate change is affecting the distribution of species.
See past editions for more tips and resources.
In Focus: Planting Trees
Close to 1.5 billon trees will be planted in one week during an annual forest festival taking place in India, but as Divya Gandhi reports, the quality of tree planting is far more important than the quantity.
Sandra Laville reported on a failed effort to offset the ecological damage caused by a new road in the United Kingdom — most of the 860,000 trees planted are dead.
Rhett Ayers Butler wrote about new research showing that naturally regenerating secondary forests are an overlooked carbon sink, removing eight times more carbon from the atmosphere per hectare than newly planted forests.
The title is provocative, but there is much merit in Enock Bii’s call for compulsory tree planting.
From The Journals
Non-native honey bees compete strongly with native bees and should receive greater attention as a potential contributor to pollinator declines — read the press release or the full paper.
Five success factors for effective implementation of the EU Nature Restoration Regulation in the Member States — read the full paper.
Progress and gaps in global trade protections for endangered sharks and rays — read the press release or the full paper.
How To Support Global Nature Beat
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What Caught My Eye
The Wildlife Detective reports that Malawi’s president has pardoned a notorious wildlife trafficker from China, but the man remains in prison facing charges of trying to bribe an official while in custody.
IUCN published the draft programme for its World Conservation Congress.
World leaders must take “immediate, unprecedented action” to prevent devastating climate tipping points, say nearly 200 experts in a joint statement published on 3 July.
Maasai people in Tanzania want Volkswagen to withdraw from a carbon credits scheme that they say has taken control of their grazing land without their consent.
Some of the most severe droughts in recorded history occurred in the past two years, says a UN-backed report.
Fifteen Pacific island nations are collaborating to develop national plans for financing action to implement the Global Biodiversity Framework.
Monica Piccinini wrote about recent research showing that climate change and extreme weather events are the primary drivers of declines of Brazil’s amphibians.
Varsha Singh wrote about women fighting forest fires in India’s wildfire hotspot.
Mexico published a five-year plan for restoring degraded ecosystems, including forests and marine areas.
Linda Nordling interviewed South Africa’s environment minister Dion George.
California is making progress toward its goal of conserving 30 percent of land and sea by 2030, but the Trump Administration could overturn some protections, reports Lila Seidman.
Fiona McAuliffe explains the ecological reasons why golden eagles reintroduced to Ireland are struggling.
Jobs And Opportunities
New Scientist is hiring an environment news reporter.
Lighthouse Reports seeks a data reporter — deadline 9 July.
The Agroecology Fund seeks six freelance writers based in Asia, Africa, and Latin America to produce stories for its website — deadline 25 July.
Nigerian journalists can apply to join the Climate Reporting Gap Fellowship — deadline 20 August.
Journalismfund.eu is offering professional development grants for organizations doing environmental journalism — deadline 9 October.
Climate Trackers invites journalists in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and the Dominican Republic to apply for its climate journalism mentorship program — deadline 27 July.
The Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Center for Conservation Media is hiring a managing story editor.
Bonus content: There are 30 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
7-25 July: The 30th Session of the International Seabed Authority Assembly and Council (Part II) takes place in Kingston, Jamaica.
14-23 July 2025: The High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development takes place at the UN headquarters in New York City, United States.
23-31 July 2025: The 15th Conference of Parties to the Ramsar Convention on wetlands of international importance will take place in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe.
24-25 July: The 32nd annual Council Session and Public Forum of the Canada-US-Mexico Commission for Environmental Cooperation take place in Mexico City.
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 toucan barbet. Photo credit: Luis Fernando Serna Agudelo — Wikimedia 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.