Nature Beat #9
Updates, stories, resources and opportunities
Welcome to the latest edition of the The 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
Operation Thunder: Interpol announced the latest results of Operation Thunder, an international effort that has taken place for each of the past seven years to crack down on wildlife trafficking. Police, customs officers and other officials in more than 130 countries arrested 500 people and made more than 2,000 seizures of illegally traded animals and plants.
UN Convention Against Corruption: The 10th Conference of the States Parties to the UN Convention Against Corruption took place in Atlanta, United States, from 11-15 December. The Wildlife Justice Commission was there highlighting corruption related to environmental crimes including wildlife crime. It was among more than 300 nongovernmental organizations and experts urging Parties to adopt a resolution on corruption and environmental crime, but no Party took this forward. The Environmental Investigation Agency says that some Parties do not trust the expertise of civil society organizations and that this is harming efforts to tackle threats corruption poses.
The Biodiversity Plan for Life on Earth: The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework — the ten-year strategy that Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) agreed in 2022 — is a year old. Patrick Greenfield reports on “cautious optimism” about the plan’s implementation.
WWF International is less positive. In a press release, it said countries “need to get out of first gear”. Li Lin, Senior Director of Global Policy and Advocacy, said: “While we have seen some progress since the adoption last December of the Global Biodiversity Framework, in truth it is piecemeal and woefully inadequate to the challenge at hand, with only six years left to deliver.”
The EU says it has made progress implementing the deal — with new laws, finance and monitoring systems — but acknowledges it must do more.
On 18 December, the CBD Secretariat launched a communication campaign, giving the framework a new public name ‘The Biodiversity Plan for Life on Earth’ and short titles for its goals and targets.
Indigenous rights in Brazil: The Brazilian Congress has adopted a law that spells trouble for Indigenous Peoples, reports Sarah Brown. The new law includes measures that would remove land rights and open up Indigenous territories to mining and agriculture. It overturns previous vetoes by President Lula of some of the law’s elements. Survival International called the new law “the most serious and vicious attack on Indigenous rights in decades”.
Climate change: COP28 ended with a headline-grabbing decision by world governments to “transition away” from fossil fuels in energy systems. It was the first time that fossil fuels had ever been named in a COP decision. While that is progress, it is not enough. In case you missed it, here’s my take:
For other coverage of nature-climate links at COP28, I recommend articles by Jonathan Watts and Patrick Greenfield in The Guardian, Thomas Cox and Stian Reklev at Carbon Pulse, and Elizabeth Claire Alberts at Mongabay.com.
If you want to dive deep, there is no better place to go than Carbon Brief’s analysis of all the key outcomes relating to nature, Indigenous Peoples, food, forests and land use — by Aruna Chandrasekhar, Daisy Dunne, Orla Dwyer, Yanine Quiroz and Giuliana Viglione.
In The Spotlight
Benji Jones reports for Vox from the extinction capital of the world.
Congratulations to 12 winners of the 2023 SEAL Environmental Journalism Awards — it is great to see a few Nature Beat subscribers among them.
India Bourke reports on the nations swapping their debt for action on climate and conservation.
‘The police are watching’ — Hướng Thiện reports for Mongabay on threats to environmentalists in the Mekong region of Southeast Asia.
Michael Greshko looks into the future of science and environment journalism.
Tips And Resources
Carbon Brief’s huge summary of everything that happened at COP28 is a resource worth bookmarking for the year ahead, along with the Earth Negotiations Bulletin’s summary of COP28 and the World Resources Institute’s overview of outcomes and next steps.
The World Resources Institute has a webinar on 23 January on ‘four stories to watch in 2024’.
The UN Food and Agriculture Organization launched a Biodiversity Knowledge Hub.
What Caught My Eye
In the United States, the Center for Biological Diversity is urging President Ban to ban fish imports from Mexico, whose fishing fleet is killing thousands of loggerhead turtles.
Andre Cabette Fabio explores President Lula's plan to protect Brazilian forests by recovering degraded pastures for agriculture.
Scientists studied 1,500 insect species in Europe and found that climate change is causing 60 percent of them to fall out of synchrony with the plants on which they depend.
The Inter-American Court of Human Rights ruled that Guatemala violated Indigenous rights by permitting a huge nickel mine on tribal land nearly 20 years ago, reports Daniel Shailer.
“The idea that we can gorge ourselves on steaks and still help the climate is bullshit,” writes Jan Dutkiewicz, assistant professor of political science at the Pratt Institute in New York.
Chris Lang digs into ONE Amazon's US$1 trillion plan for the Amazon basin in his REDD Monitor newsletter.
Augusta Dwyer reports on the cities around the world embracing urban forestry.
UNEP-WCMC’s Protected Planet team reports back from workshops in Central Asia and the Western Balkans about protecting and conserving 30 percent of land and sea.
The Wildlife Justice Commission’s review of 2023 includes successes against wildlife crime in Nigeria, Mozambique, Indonesia, and Malaysia.
From The Journals
In case you missed it, last week’s round-up of new research included papers on: Giant anteaters as bad omens. Pet cats versus wildlife. China’s overlooked threatened plants. Fireworks disturbing birds. Space for tigers. Sperm whale curios. Read the summaries here.
Jobs And Opportunities
Do you have a great data story? The Sigma Awards are open — apply by 17 January 2024.
Courrier International is seeking a science journalist — apply here.
The Earth Journalism Network invites journalists in Zambia to apply to attend a three-day workshop on biodiversity reporting — deadline 31 December.
Apply for Mongabay’s 2024 Conservation Reporting Fellowship — deadline 10 February 2024.
Bonus content: There are more jobs, grants, fellowships and other opportunities listed here for The Nature Beat’s supporters.
On The Horizon
31 December: President Biden’s deadline for China to act on pangolin trade.
5-9 February 2024: The 66th meeting of the Global Environment Facility’s Council takes place in Washington DC.
6 February 2024: The European Commission plans to present the EU’s 2040 climate target.
9 February 2024: The 1st meeting of the Global Biodiversity Framework Fund’s Council takes place in Washington DC.
12-17 February 2024: The 14th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS COP14), will take place in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.
Bonus content: The full calendar for The Nature Beat’s supporters includes nature-related intergovernmental negotiations, scientific conferences, report launches, and other events up until 2026.
Whose Eye Was It?
Okay, I cheated this week. The ‘eye’ belongs to a polyphemus moth (Antheraea polyphemus) and was sent to me by Nature Beat subscriber Bryan Pfeiffer — check out his Chasing Nature newsletter here.
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.