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22/9/23: Seventy-six countries and the European Union have now signed the high seas treaty, a significant step forward to protect marine biodiversity in international waters. Once 60 nations have ratified it, the treaty will finally come into force.

Source: Mongabay

Six of nine planetary boundaries have been crossed

13/9/2023: Six of nine planetary boundaries are being crossed, while simultaneously pressure in all boundary processes is increasing, new research published in the journal Science Advances shows. The new study is the third major assessment of the planetary boundaries framework, first introduced in 2009.

Source: Stockholm Resilience Centre

Major study warns of growing threat from invasive species

6/9/2023: The new global deal for nature agreed at COP15 in Montreal last year includes a target to reduce the rate of introduction and establishment of invasive alien species by at least 50% by 2030. But a major new report by IPBES warns that the impacts of invasive species are set to worsen through international trade, climate change and other human activities.

Source: China Dialogue

What drives and halts tropical deforestation?

24/8/2023: Researchers have conducted a meta-analysis of 320 studies covering a period of 24 years, confirming that the key drivers of tropical deforestation are agriculture, cattle ranching, building roads, expanding cities into forests, and population growth. Stronger protections for parks and nature reserves help slow deforestation, as does better law enforcement and bans on logging.

Source: Mongabay

Amazon nations fail to agree on deforestation goal at summit

9/8/2023: Eight South American nations have agreed on a list of joint actions to protect the Amazon rainforest, but failed to mention a long-awaited target to halt deforestation. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva had been pushing for the region to unite behind a common policy of ending deforestation by 2030.

Source: Climate Home News

Amazon deforestation continues to fall under Lula

5/8/2023: Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon detected by satellite through 2023 is down 42% on the same period last year, marking a sharp reversal of performance under the Bolsonaro administration. Since retaking the presidency, Lula has worked to restore protections for the Amazon and rally international support for the ecosystem.

Source: Mongabay

Carbon offsets will not save the Amazon rainforest

1/8/2023: The deal set up between the Norwegian government and Guyana demonstrates how the carbon offset market is plagued with problems. It routinely inflates its climate impact, diverts money to middlemen who cream off profits, and exploits Indigenous communities.

Source: Climate Home News

10% increase in primary tropical forest loss in 2022

27/6/2023: During the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow in 2021, heads of 145 countries pledged to reduce global deforestation by 10% each year, targeting zero deforestation by 2030. In the first year after the Glasgow pledge, tropical forest loss increased by 10%.

Source: Mongabay

Last chance to save the Amazon

22/5/2023: The Amazon biome has already lost about 20 per cent of its original area, and experts say it is rapidly reaching a "point of no return", pushing it towards becoming a savannah. There are four key elements that could trigger a rapid and systemic transformation for the protection of the Amazon and its peoples.

Source: UN Environment Programme

Amazon Rainforest loss could reach new height in just 5 years

11/5/2023: A recent study has found that in the five-year period between 2021 and 2025, the Amazon could lose half the total forest cover it lost in the previous 20 years. Experts say the Amazon Rainforest is currently experiencing this pessimistic scenario.

Source: Mongabay

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