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Nepal is addressing its high vulnerability to climate change through a combination of national policies, such as the 2010 National Adaptation Programme of Action (NAPA) and the 2011 Climate Change Policy, and decentralized, bottom-up initiatives like Local Adaptation Plans for Action (LAPAs). The country faces significant risks from increasing temperatures, rainfall variability, and glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs), particularly affecting agriculture, water resources, and energy. While the Government of Nepal has demonstrated strong political leadership in establishing coordinating bodies like the Climate Change Council, there remains a gap in adaptation efforts for public health and urban settlements. Adaptation is heavily supported by international finance, with a strong focus on community-based projects in the agriculture and water sectors, though private sector participation remains minimal.

The document examines how urban ecosystems and green infrastructure provide critical environmental, social, and economic services that protect cities from climate shocks. It highlights projected temperature increases in Alberta and advocates for a resilience framework based on robustness, redundancy, and resourcefulness. The brief provides recommendations for municipal governments to integrate biodiversity into planning, use asset management for natural spaces, and engage citizens in environmental stewardship.

The document explores the role of citizen science in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), categorizing projects into contributory, collaborative, and co-created models. It argues that citizen science can fill critical data gaps, particularly for marginalized groups, and foster public engagement and behavioral change. While acknowledging challenges regarding data quality and statistical bias, the brief asserts that well-designed projects produce data comparable to professional science. It provides a detailed matrix of potential applications across various SDG targets, including energy affordability, water sanitation, and biodiversity monitoring.

Between 2010 and 2014, the Cook Islands received US$31.4 million in grant-equivalent finance primarily targeting climate change, with 68% allocated to mitigation and 32% to adaptation. New Zealand, the Adaptation Fund, and the Global Environment Facility (GEF) were the largest sources of finance, focusing on solar energy, disaster prevention, and biodiversity respectively. Additionally, between January 2015 and September 2016, the Cook Islands were allocated US$4.3 million from multilateral funds, including US$4.13 million from the GEF for renewable energy.

Between 2010 and 2014, the Republic of the Marshall Islands received US$7.9 million in grant-equivalent finance specifically targeting climate change, with the Global Environment Facility and Australia as the primary sources. Mitigation activities received the largest share of this funding (50.8%), followed by adaptation (44.4%).

Between 2010 and 2014, Nauru received US$5.4 million in grant-equivalent finance specifically targeting climate change objectives, with the largest contributions coming from the Global Environment Facility (GEF), Australia, and the European Union. Mitigation activities received the highest share of this funding at 50.7% (US$2.7 million), followed by adaptation at 36.1% (US$1.9 million). The GEF's funding focused on biodiversity, Australia's on environmental research, and the EU's on disaster prevention and preparedness.

Between 2010 and 2014, Timor Leste received US$102.5 million in grant-equivalent finance specifically targeting climate change, with a strong emphasis on adaptation and water-related infrastructure. Japan, Australia, and the Least Developed Countries Fund were the primary contributors, focusing on irrigation, water and sanitation, and environmental policy respectively.

The report analyzes six snow leopard landscapes in high Asia, finding that while habitat is often well-protected (averaging 50%), critical gaps in connectivity exist. It highlights that climate change will cause warming of 1.7°C to 3.6°C by mid-century, potentially shifting 60-80% of Eastern Himalayan habitats from alpine grasslands to forest ecosystems. The study also identifies the Central Tien Shan as a key 'water tower' providing essential spring runoff to downstream communities, while noting that all landscapes face risks from permafrost melt and shortened winters.

The report 'Beyond the Stripes' by WWF International demonstrates that tiger conservation serves as a catalyst for broader environmental and human benefits. It highlights how protecting tiger landscapes safeguards biodiversity hotspots, secures water for millions, mitigates climate change through carbon storage, and supports local economies and traditional cultures across Asia.

The document outlines a comprehensive framework for managing student internships in the biodiversity sector, focusing on aligning workplace experience with academic curricula. It provides a seven-step approach covering the definition of quality WIL, organizational preparation, recruitment and selection, workplace induction, mentoring strategies, assessment methods, and monitoring and evaluation. The guide emphasizes the importance of 'the right fit' between a student's academic background and the host's operational needs, suggesting a balance of 75% curriculum-related work and 25% support tasks. It also details the roles of universities, students, and employers in the assessment process and provides tools such as a Career Development Map and a Monitoring and Evaluation Framework to ensure professional growth and organizational benefit.

Friends of the Earth International criticizes COP 13 for failing to protect biodiversity, alleging that the conference prioritized corporate interests and economic growth over environmental safety and indigenous rights. The organization highlights the continued promotion of harmful technologies like GMOs and pesticides, the erosion of the precautionary principle, and the increasing influence of the private sector through the 'financialization of nature'.

The CBD Alliance describes biodiversity as being in a "state of emergency" and criticizes COP 13 for prioritizing business interests, financial gains, and trade over ecological protection. The statement highlights failures in risk assessment for synthetic biology, the promotion of unsustainable agriculture and tourism, and the marginalization of indigenous peoples and developing country delegations.

A joint declaration by indigenous communities in Mexico, released during COP 13 in Cancún, argues that the 'green economy' and biodiversity conventions serve as fronts for corporate interests and the dispossession of indigenous lands. The document condemns the criminalization of environmental defenders and the use of deceptive conservation rhetoric to justify extractive projects, including wind and hydroelectric power. It specifically criticizes the REDD+ mechanism and the Nagoya and Cartagena protocols for favoring multinationals over indigenous sovereignty and biocultural heritage.

The document is a statement by indigenous groups in Mexico, issued during COP 13 in Cancun, condemning the 'green economy' and extractivist projects—including wind parks, hydroelectric projects, and mining—as drivers of human rights violations and territorial plundering. The signatories argue that international frameworks like the Nagoya and Cartagena Protocols and the REDD+ program prioritize corporate profit over biodiversity and indigenous sovereignty, calling for the protection of biocultural heritage and food sovereignty against the commodification of nature.

The author criticizes the Polish government's 'Assumptions for the development of inland waterways in Poland for 2016-2020 with a perspective to 2030', which aims to canalize the Vistula and Odra rivers. The text argues that these plans contradict the EU Water Framework Directive and other environmental directives, risking the destruction of Natura 2000 sites. It claims that the projects will exacerbate droughts and floods, create water conflicts with the coal-based energy sector, and incur massive public costs—estimated at nearly 20 billion euros by 2030—without providing realistic economic benefits. The author advocates for a shift toward local community management, sustainable ecotourism, and adapting vessels to the rivers' natural states instead of modifying the rivers for large barges.

The document argues that mismatches between management units (TACs) and scientific advice units (ICES) make it difficult to monitor whether fishing levels comply with the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). Analysis of 112 comparisons shows that only about 28% are directly comparable, while the majority suffer from area or species mismatches that require additional, non-public data to resolve.

The document argues that a lack of transparency and data mismatches hinder the ability of stakeholders to verify if EU fish quotas align with scientific advice and the legal requirements of the Common Fisheries Policy. It specifically highlights issues with spatial mismatches between management and advice units, the opacity of the Council of Ministers' decision-making, and the complexities introduced by the landing obligation's 'top-up' calculations. The author recommends that the European Commission publish its matching methodologies, create a centralised database for TACs shared with third countries, and improve the reporting of progress towards MSY.

The report analyzes Canada's comprehensive wealth—comprising natural, human, social, and produced capital—finding that while Canada remains wealthy, its wealth growth (0.19% annually) has lagged significantly behind consumption growth (1.36% annually) between 1980 and 2013. The study highlights a 25% decline in the market value of natural capital and a lack of growth in human capital, suggesting that Canada's development model relies heavily on the depletion of natural resources and a concentrated produced capital base dominated by housing and oil and gas.

The assessment finds Senegal's mining framework to be of medium strength, noting a clear permitting process and efforts to formalize artisanal mining, but highlighting significant gaps in the distribution of mining revenues to local communities, weak environmental enforcement, and the continued prevalence of child labour and mercury use in the informal sector.

The assessment identifies a moderately strong legal framework with clear permitting processes and competitive tax regimes, but highlights significant gaps in the actual implementation of environmental monitoring, the distribution of local development funds, and the formalization of the artisanal mining sector.