N4C Trends: Nature in the Media – 2025 in Review

Five Broader Trends in Nature-Based Solutions Media Coverage

1. Surging Carbon Market Activity and Continued Scrutiny

Carbon markets remain one of the most covered and divisive areas in nature and climate reporting. On the one hand, we’ve seen more media coverage on investments in carbon credits from soil carbon and biochar to reforestation and afforestation. On the other hand, media coverage has consistently flagged integrity issues and transparency challenges. Particularly for nature-based credits, there has been an increase in media coverage over issues of “permanence” from both sides of the debate. At the same time, emerging standards and best practices aimed at ensuring quality are driving more coverage that recognizes the growth of high-integrity carbon credits from nature-based solutions.

2. Ongoing Deforestation

From the Amazon to Southeast Asia, deforestation remains a persistent concern in media coverage. The Weekly Brief has tracked both forest loss and global efforts to curb it—from evolving EU deforestation rules to REDD+ programs and new financial pledges like the Tropical Forest Forever Facility. But the media coverage reflects a reality: current policies and finance remain insufficient to stop forest loss at scale today.

3. Wildfires as a Top Climate Threat

Part of the forest loss theme, but worthy of separate recognition are wildfires. This driver of forest loss is increasingly framed as a defining climate issue in media coverage. Stories from around the world are linking increased wildfires to both forest carbon loss and rising health emergencies. The growing scale and frequency of wildfires are now outpacing human driven deforestation as a climate threat, according to recent WRI analysis, pushing them to the top of the climate media agenda.

4. Nature as an Economic Imperative

Nature is no longer discussed solely through an environmental lens—it’s now central to national development and economic strategies. Coverage of nature-positive economies, green investment in the Amazon’s bioeconomy, and debt-for-nature swaps increased in 2025. An underlying but growing message is clear across media coverage: protecting nature is essential to long-term economic prosperity.

5. Indigenous Leadership and Rights

There has been a noticeable increase in stories highlighting the leadership of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IP&LCs) in nature-based solutions. Whether it’s through land rights, direct access to finance, or participation in carbon markets, the media is recognizing that Indigenous leadership is critical to achieving better climate and nature outcomes in regions where their communities are impacted. Recognition of the need for Indigenous leadership is only part of the story, though. A decent amount of news stories also covered the lack of inclusion of IP&LCs in decision-making forums.

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What You Found Most Interesting: Top 5 News Themes Read by Our Subscribers 

We also wanted to see what our readers found most engaging based on your interaction with the Weekly Brief’s content. Five topics stand out for the engagement they have drawn from our readers so far this year.

1. Stories of Hope and Motivation

Articles that focused on optimism—why there is still hope for nature and climate—topped the list. In a news landscape often dominated by crisis, readers were drawn to pieces that offered inspiration and momentum. A few of the top pieces in this category include:

• 3 reasons 2025 is the year for nature-positive finance – World Economic Forum
• We hit the temperature record. Now what? Reasons to (still) look forward to 2025 nature and climate action – Nature4Climate
• Global leaders identify 6 key systems levers for climate and nature – World Economic Forum

2. Reforestation Potential

Coverage of reforestation as both an economic opportunity and a complex challenge garnered strong interest. Readers clicked through to learn more about restoration opportunities like Orbitas’ $141 billion estimate for Brazil, while also engaging with critiques on overhyped expectations.

• ‘Win-win’: new maps reveal best opportunities for global reforestation – The Guardian
• Why the global area for regrowing trees is 71% smaller than thought – Carbon Brief

3. Justice for Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities

Though fewer in number, articles that featured injustices faced by IP&LCs received disproportionately high engagement. This shows a strong reader appetite for stories that center equity, land rights, and accountability.

• ‘Land grabs’ in Africa replaced by ‘carbon grabs’, says bank chief – Financial Times
• Is Bolivia’s $1.2 Billion Deal to Protect Its Forests a Climate Boon—or a False Solution?- Inside Climate News

4. Brazil’s Road to COP30

From ambitious diplomacy to ongoing environmental controversies, Brazil’s lead-up to COP30 in Belém has been closely followed by our readers. There is clear interest in the role Brazil will play, especially around Amazon protection and climate finance. Also of interest were stories of Brazilian policies that led to nature loss and diverged from the government’s pro-nature messaging ahead of COP30.

• Brazil to Pitch Forest Funding as Climate Quick Fix at COP30 – Bloomberg
• Scoop: Brazil hammers out details of forest fund ahead of COP30 – Devex
• Amazon forest felled to build road for climate summit – BBC

5. COP16 Outcomes

Earlier in the year, stories about COP16 and the Cali Fund generated strong engagement. As 2025 progresses, there is a need to revisit what happened at COP16 and clarify where biodiversity financing stands today.

• COP16: Key outcomes agreed at the resumed UN biodiversity conference in Rome – Carbon Brief

What to Watch for in the Rest of 2025

COP30 Will Take Center Stage

For the rest of 2025, we expect COP30 will continue to dominate most media coverage dedicated to nature or climate issues. Key storylines to track: 

• The future of the TFFF is still uncertain. Will Brazil and early supporters be able to raise enough public finance to encourage private investors to join the effort? The TFFF is 2025’s most prominent effort to raise finance for nature conservation among tropical forest nations and worth keeping an eye on.
• The role of Indigenous rights and leadership in COP30 proceedings and the potential creation of an intergovernmental land tenure commitment that nations will hopefully make at COP30.
• A new round of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) from the world’s nations is due to be submitted. Will nations leverage nature-based solutions to help close the gap between their emissions and goals? Nature presents a lot of opportunities for nations to take climate action as recent N4C analysis found with naturebase.

Voluntary Carbon Markets (VCM)

Debates will continue on the use of nature-based carbon credits in corporate and investor net-zero climate plans. Two key issues to watch: 

• Will the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi) change their current proposed rules to allow increased use of carbon credits in net zero goals?
• Will global Article 6 rules ultimately support or detract from nature-based solutions? Current rulemaking has Article 6 set on a path that would exclude nature-based carbon credits, a threat to significant and urgently needed finance for nature. Yet, the rules could still adjust how Article 6 approaches durability and reversal risk, baselines and leakage to not exclude natural climate solutions.

The Private Sector’s Expanding Role

Media will likely spotlight the dual role of the private sector: both as a driver of nature loss and a potential engine for nature-positive investments. We anticipate several new announcements of major investments in natural capital to be made up to and during COP30. As the unofficial “climate season,” news desks will turn more of their attention to climate change issues in late October and November, making it a ripe time for new announcements. Throughout the rest of the year, though, we’ll be watching different regulatory developments, like ongoing changes to the EU Deforestation Regulation which is set to come into enforcement at the end of 2025. 

Thank you once again to our growing community of readers who have helped shape the N4C Weekly Brief into what it is today. As the conversation around nature and climate continues to evolve, we’ll keep working to bring you the insights that matter most.

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