N4C Weekly Brief: Apr 24 – 30

FEATURED NEWS

EU launches action against 20 airlines for greenwashing
Al Jazeera, 30 April 2024 

Al Jazeera reports that European Union authorities have started action against 20 airlines for misleading “greenwashing” practices. In a statement on Tuesday, the European Commission said they had worked together with Belgian, Dutch, Norwegian and Spanish watchdogs on identifying the airlines that have made false or misleading statements about the environmental benefits of their companies. The Washington Post examines timber companies that are claiming carbon credits for trees they don’t cut down.  Meanwhile, Fred Krupp, President of the Environmental Defense Fund, publishes an opinion article in the WSJ welcoming the recent announcement by the SBTi Board of Trustees and arguing why constraints on flexible solutions like carbon credits limit investment. On the supply side, Quantum Commodity Intelligence reports that the head of a key forest fund in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has denounced the split of monetary benefits arising from REDD+ projects. Carbon Herald reports that uncertainty has arisen around Indonesia’s Rimba Raya REDD+ project after a key business licence was revoked by the government.

EU law to reduce deforestation is on a knife’s edge, will leaders act? [Commentary]
Mongabay, Etelle Higonnet, 25 April

Mongabay publishes a commentary calling on EU leaders to act boldly and support the landmark EU law to reduce deforestation, supported by many corporate leaders impacted by the law, and not weaken the rule further. Responsible Investor reports that members of the European Parliament voted in favour of adopting the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive last week signalling that the directive is on the homestretch of the EU legislative process. New analysis by Mighty Earth and AidEnvironment shows how the failure of JBS to act on deforestation alerts on cattle farms in the Amazon and Cerrado has resulted in more than 18,000 hectares of preventable destruction of crucial rainforest and natural ecosystems. The Guardian covers an open letter spearheaded by the Crowther Lab team signed by 100s of scientists arguing that the EU’s nature restoration law must empower the agricultural community help make agriculture more environmentally friendly if the law is to succeed.

UN special rapporteur urges halt to projects on Indigenous lands
Quantum Commodity Intelligence, 23 April

Quantum Commodity Intelligence reports the UN’s Special Rapporteur on the rights of Indigenous peoples has called for a moratorium on carbon credit projects on lands that are home to aboriginal communities, a call that is likely to resonate through the voluntary carbon market, where integrity initiatives say they will improve safeguards. Mongabay reports that the World Bank has suspended further payments for a $150 million tourism project in southern Tanzania in response to allegations of forced evictions, killings and other violations of people’s rights in Ruaha National Park. Grist digs into the tensions some Indigenous leaders face with the international community often adopting the term “Indigenous peoples and local communities” when it comes to conservation and rights. While local communities often face similar issues as Indigenous peoples when it comes to discussions of nature, clear differences in regards to justice, rights and legal considerations create additional challenges for Indigenous leaders seeking solutions for their peoples.

Conservation slowing biodiversity loss, scientists say
BBC, Esme Stallard, 25 April

BBC covers a first of its kind study, published in the journal Science, analyzing 665 trials of conservation measures, some from as far back as 1890, in different countries and oceans and across species types, and found they had had a positive effect in two out of every three cases to preserve biodiversity. The study does note that in one out of every five cases of conservation efforts, however, the actions had caused the targeted species to decline. Mongabay reports on efforts to restore nature assessing the Democratic Republic of Congo’s efforts to to plant 1 billion trees between 2019 and 2023, aiming to strengthen climate resilience, alleviate poverty and protect biodiversity. Program officials say they achieved 90% of their target, but forestry experts warn that the biodiversity of the trees selected for these types of efforts is too often over-looked.

BTG Pactual’s Timberland Investment Group secures $1.2 billion for timberland in Latin America
Impact Alpha, Roodgally Senatus, 1 May

Impact Alpha reports that BTG Pactual Timberland Investment Group (TIG) has finalized fundraising for BTF II, its fund fund focused on mature sustainable timberland assets in well-established markets across Latin America, securing US$ 1.24 billion. Carbon Pulse reports that Manulife Investment Management closed its forest second round of funding for its Forest Climate Fund securing $334.5 million for investing in sustainably managed forests where carbon sequestration is prioritised over timber production

SPOTLIGHT – Turning the Cement and Concrete Sector Into Nature’s Partner

Business for Nature, the World Economic Forum and The World Business Council for Sustainable Development have developed new guidance for 12 sectors, including the cement and concrete sector. In a new video promoting the guidance established for this sector the partners share how prioritizing water stewardship, responsible sourcing, behavioural change, nature conservation and circularity practices, this sector could unlock $44 billion per year of additional value by 2030 and ensure it contributes to a nature-positive future.

See the guidance documents for the Cement and Concrete sector here to learn more.

FOR YOUR INFORMATION

International Sustainability Standards Board announces that it will commence projects to research disclosure about risks and opportunities associated with biodiversity, ecosystems and ecosystem services, and human capital.

Nature Action 100 publishes their Investor Expectations for Companies, which outlines six actions urging companies to commit to minimizing contributions to nature loss, assess and disclose nature-related impacts, set science-based targets, implement plans prioritizing rights-based approaches, establish board oversight, and engage with stakeholders to create an enabling environment for achieving targets.

Bionic Planet shares a podcast episode focused on efforts to revive the coastal mangrove forests that protect Mombasa, Kenya, which is a seaside city. The episode features guests from the community-based organization, Big Ship, who have been working on mangrove conservation for 15 years.

Green Finance Institute releases a new analysis of the potential impact of nature degradation on the UK’s economy, finding that damage to the natural environment is slowing the UK economy, and could lead to an estimated 12% reduction to GDP in the years ahead.

UNEP opens nominations for the Champions of Earth award, which honors individuals and organizations working on innovative and sustainable solutions to restore land, enhance drought resilience, and combat desertification.

Clean Cooking Alliance releases a digital magazine highlighting the importance of carbon finance for clean cooking and for helping solve the climate crisis.

IUCN publishes a report proposing a definition and founding principles for a “Regenerative” Blue Economy. The report analysis includes the historical evolution of Blue Economy concepts and approaches, and applies the vital requirements of conservation merged with sustainable development.

IUCN announces the RISE challenge to support partnerships between environmental organizations, community-based organizations and leaders, and organizations with experience addressing gender-based violence.

Re:wild covers a new study published in Science finding that conservation actions—including the establishment and management of protected areas, the eradication and control of invasive species, the sustainable management of ecosystems, and habitat loss reduction and restoration—improved the state of biodiversity or slowed its decline in the majority of cases (66%) compared with no action taken at all.

WCS shares insights from a new artificial intelligence model that allowed scientists to map the locations of underwater biodiversity hotspots across 11 countries in the Western Indian Ocean. The new maps pinpoint 119 sites with especially high concentrations of species of fish and corals, most of which are not currently protected or otherwise conserved.

WWF announces its Climate-Smart Mangrove Tool, which helps conservation practitioners better understand the risks of climate change to mangrove ecosystems. It also helps determine the best preventative and restorative management actions to decrease the vulnerability of these ecosystems to climate-related damage and increase their resilience to change.

Conservational International publishes a study with the Smithsonian Institution, showing the majority of protected reefs stretching nearly 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) from southern Mexico to Honduras are failing to boost adult fish populations, largely due to fishing.

Conservational International releases a paper with findings that show some of the ecosystems that function as massive vaults of planet-heating carbon, which, if emitted into the atmosphere, could not be restored by 2050 to prevent the worst impacts of climate change, have already been lost.

Global Mangrove Alliance opens the call for nominations for their 10th Mangrove Photography Awards. The competition invites photographers of all ages and levels to submit images that showcase the beauty, diversity and fragility of mangrove forests worldwide.

ICUN shares a new study in the scientific journal Science provides the strongest evidence to date that not only is environmental conservation successful, but that scaling conservation interventions up would be transformational for halting and reversing biodiversity loss, a crisis that leads to ecosystem collapse and a planet less able to support life.

UNDP releases areport that showcases the achievements, lessons and best practices in developing Integrated National Financing Frameworks from around the world.

Saudi Arabia and UNEP launch World Environment Day campaigns to combat desertification and restore degraded lands.

American Farmland Trust shares new research that shows from 2001-2016, 11 million acres of American farmland were converted to uses that threaten the future of agriculture. Looking ahead, AFT modelling indicates that the U.S. will lose an additional 18.4 million acres by 2040 in the absence of significant policy interventions.

CASE STUDY

N4C is compiling an index of NBS case studies, together with an interactive map, to highlight action on the ground. Each week, we will be choosing a case study to present, to help give concrete examples of work being done to bring NBS theory into practic

Casamance Mangroves

WHERE: CASAMANCE RIVER, SENEGAL

TYPE OF NCS SOLUTION: RESTORE

The estuary of the Casamance river was once home to an abundance of mangroves, but droughts in the area and wood collection for firewood decimated most of the mangrove population. Without the mangroves, the coastal communities are vulnerable to the loss of income from shellfish harvests, as well as to the destruction caused by storms. This project is replanting over 3,418 hectares of mangroves in hopes of restoring the region to its pre-drought conditions, with the goal of creating the world’s largest carbon-certified mangrove project.

LEARN MORE

NUMBER OF THE WEEK – 3.7 MtCO2e/yr

The annual carbon dioxide emissions that could be avoided by Mexico if it meets its potential to avoid coastal wetland conversion by 2050.  See more details on the potential for natural climate solutions in N4C’s naturebase.

GOOD NEWS

In Coastal British Columbia, the Haida Get Their Land Back

In April 2024, the Haida Nation and the province of British Columbia announced the Gaayhllxid/Gíihlagalgang “Rising Tide” Haida Title Lands Agreement. In it, the BC government formally recognizes Haida ownership of all the lands of Haida Gwaii. This is the first time in Canadian history that the colonial government has recognized Indigenous title across an entire terrestrial territory, and it’s the first time this kind of recognition has occurred outside of the courts. Experts say it marks a new path toward Indigenous reconciliation.

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