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WRI's 2023-2027 Strategic Plan shifts the organization from a focus on commitments to delivering tangible impact on the ground. The strategy centers on three interconnected global goals: improving human well-being (People), protecting ecosystem health (Nature), and limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees C (Climate). To achieve these, WRI targets transitions in three 'Human-Centered Systems'—food, land and water; energy; and cities—supported by shifts in 'Enabling Systems' including economics, finance, and governance. The plan prioritizes 12 focus countries and a network of 25 priority cities, utilizing a new results framework based on theories of change to measure progress toward 2027 and 2030 targets.

The 2023 Year in Review for the Corporate Consultative Group (CCG) outlines how WRI partners with the private sector to accelerate the energy transition and protect nature. The report details member benefits such as 'Tailored Advice' and 'MindShare' events, while aligning corporate engagement with WRI's 2023–2027 Strategic Plan. It highlights specific goals for decarbonizing energy, halting deforestation, and shifting finance, noting that CCG members provide critical unrestricted funds and practical input to ensure WRI's research is fit for corporate application.

The WRI 2023-2027 Strategic Plan aims to facilitate a 'great transition' by addressing the systemic links between human needs, ecosystem health, and climate stability. The strategy focuses on transforming three primary human systems—food, land and water; energy; and cities—while reforming the underlying economic, financial, and governance 'enabling systems.' WRI intends to implement these strategies through global initiatives and deep engagement in 12 focus countries, utilizing evidence-based theories of change and multi-year flexible funding to achieve measurable impact aligned with international targets like the Paris Agreement.

The document highlights the critical role of grasslands in biodiversity and carbon sequestration, noting that over 70 percent of American prairies have been destroyed. It identifies federal crop insurance subsidies and the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) as primary drivers of habitat loss and proposes six policy interventions, including amending the RFS, strengthening the Sodsaver provision, and passing the North American Grasslands Conservation Act.

The report details the discovery of 380 new species in the Greater Mekong region (Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Viet Nam) across 2021 and 2022. It highlights the region's status as a biodiversity hotspot and emphasizes the role of genetic sequencing and bioacoustics in these findings. The document provides specific case studies of new flora and fauna, noting that many are endemic to small ranges and face threats from habitat destruction, climate change, and illegal trade.

The report examines the significant environmental impacts of animal feed, which accounts for 41% of livestock's global greenhouse gas emissions and 98% of its freshwater use. It proposes four key solutions: Responsible Sourcing to end land conversion, Regenerative Agriculture to improve soil health and carbon sequestration, Circular Ingredients to utilize food waste and by-products, and Feeding Innovations to improve efficiency and reduce enteric methane. The document emphasizes that these solutions require a strong enabling environment, including better data transparency, supportive public policy, and strong market signals across the fragmented feed value chain.

The African Nature Based Tourism Platform, funded by the Global Environment Facility, is working to mobilize $15 million for tourism-reliant communities and SMEs across 11 countries in eastern and southern Africa. Based on 687 surveys conducted in early 2021, the Platform identified critical vulnerabilities caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, including severe revenue losses and threats to food and water security. These insights have informed the development of community-led grant proposals focusing on climate-smart agriculture, water security through solar-powered boreholes, and inclusive governance. Specific successful funding mobilizations include a $1.4 million EU grant for governance in Tanzania's Wildlife Management Areas and various projects in Malawi, South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, and Kenya aimed at diversifying livelihoods to reduce reliance on tourism and prevent the unsustainable use of natural resources.

The document argues that the 2023 Farm Bill should be used to make US agriculture net zero by 2040 and reverse species decline. It proposes expanding the Grassland Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), strengthening the Sodsaver provision to prevent native prairie conversion, and increasing funding for regenerative agriculture and technical assistance. It also recommends reducing food loss and waste, improving freshwater management, and ensuring bioenergy supports only advanced fuels with at least 50% life-cycle GHG reductions. Additionally, it emphasizes increasing equity for Tribal Nations and historically underserved producers.

WWF is implementing an integrated approach in the Eastern Pacific, specifically Ecuador and the Galápagos, to address threats from climate change and unsustainable resource use. By 2030, the initiative aims to place 30% of the seascape under protected areas and improve food security, income, and safety for 3.7 million people through strengthened maritime governance, sustainable livelihoods, and the protection of key species and habitats.

The document explains the balance between removing invasive eucalyptus species to protect biodiversity and water resources and maintaining these trees as critical nectar sources for the honeybee industry. It details the specific categories of invasive species, the legal requirements for removal in sensitive areas, and the process for obtaining permits to retain certain trees for beekeeping purposes.

The document explains that while six eucalyptus species are classified as invasive in South Africa and must be removed from sensitive areas, gum trees are critical to the beekeeping industry, providing an estimated 50% of the national honey crop. It details the Alien and Invasive Species regulations under the National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act 10 of 2004, specifying that all gum species must be removed from riparian areas due to high water usage, regardless of invasiveness. Landowners are guided on how to apply for Category 2 permits to retain listed gums for specific functions like bee forage, and are provided with best practices for safe tree removal and the establishment of indigenous pollinator-friendly habitats.

Earthjustice's statement on the Omnibus Spending Package praises funding for federal agencies, solar energy in Puerto Rico, and water infrastructure in Jackson, Mississippi. However, it criticizes the bill for undermining the Endangered Species Act regarding right whales, extending EPA pesticide review deadlines, and failing to meet U.S. climate finance commitments to developing nations made at COP 27.

The research examines soy farmers in the Matopiba region of Brazil, finding that land-use decisions are driven by economic rationale and a sense of entitlement to clear land. The authors argue that voluntary behavioral changes are unlikely to succeed and that strict regulatory enforcement and supply-chain requirements for conversion-free soy are necessary to prevent the total loss of the Cerrado.

The We Mean Business Coalition views the COP15 Kunming-Montreal agreement as a historic step toward protecting and restoring 30% of the planet by 2030, signaling that nature must be integrated into corporate climate transition plans. While welcoming the framework, the Coalition criticizes Target 15 for failing to mandate nature-related disclosures, instead using language that only 'encourage[s], enable[s] and ensure[s]' such actions, which may lead to an uneven global playing field.

WWF urges the NRCS to use IRA funding to establish a National Agricultural Soil Carbon Plus Monitoring Network, prioritize the conservation of the Central Grasslands, and transition toward a 'regenerative agriculture' tier of technical assistance. The document emphasizes the need for better data infrastructure, the integration of Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) for Native Nations, and the reduction of on-farm food loss and waste to maximize climate and biodiversity outcomes.

The document argues that integrating the implementation of UNFCCC and CBD commitments at the national level is essential for achieving global climate and biodiversity goals. It advocates for domestic policy coherence across the design, financing, implementation, and review of NAPs and NBSAPs, providing practical entry points and case study lessons for country-level focal points and ministry staff.

The report finds that most EU Member States cannot reach climate neutrality through natural sinks alone, with only Spain, Finland, and Sweden projected to have sinks of the necessary magnitude by 2050. While forestry is the primary focus of natural removals, there is a significant lack of attention to sink stability and other land-use categories. Technological solutions are discussed, with a clear preference for Carbon Capture and Storage/Utilization (CCS/CCU) over Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS) and Direct Air Capture (DAC), though distinctions between these technologies are often blurred in national strategies.

The report advocates for the creation of the Seal River Watershed Indigenous Protected Area (IPA) in northern Manitoba, highlighting its role in biodiversity, carbon storage, and the preservation of Indigenous cultures. It asserts that Canada and Manitoba cannot meet conservation targets without Indigenous involvement and recommends that the Manitoba government implement interim protections and a feasibility study for the IPA.

Carbon Market Watch argues that the draft EU Carbon Removal Certification Framework (CRCF) is fundamentally flawed due to poor definitions of carbon removals and a failure to specify their role in climate policy. The author contends that the proposal risks promoting 'mitigation deterrence' by allowing removals to substitute for deep emission reductions and by permitting the use of temporary storage for offsetting permanent emissions. Furthermore, the document criticizes the CRCF for conflating emissions reduction with removals, utilizing vague quantification baselines, and failing to implement social protections against land grabbing.

The document argues that current agri-food transition finance is often unambitious and lacks alignment with science-based pathways, particularly regarding scope 3 emissions. It introduces five Transition Principles and five Hallmarks to ensure that corporate transition plans are rooted in action rather than pledges, exclude offsets, and align with a 1.5°C trajectory. The paper also reviews various existing frameworks, such as SBTi FLAG and the EU Platform on Sustainable Finance, to identify how they address broader goals like biodiversity, water use, and just transition.