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The IAI Directorate reports that while COVID-19 delayed some actions requiring international travel, activities remain aligned with the Strategic Plan. The document introduces a comprehensive framework of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and leading/lagging metrics to measure organizational performance across themes such as fundraising, open data, capacity building, and science priorities. It also recommends delaying the triennial revision of the Strategic Plan to the 2023-2024 intersessional period to coincide with the term of a new Executive Director.

The document outlines a comprehensive approach for governments to regulate the environmental impacts of large-scale mining throughout a project's life cycle. It emphasizes the use of Environmental and Social Impact Assessments (ESIAs) and Environmental and Social Management Plans (ESMPs) to ensure sustainable resource management. The guide details specific standards for water quality and basin-level management, the application of the mitigation hierarchy to achieve 'no net loss' or 'net positive impact' on biodiversity, the technical and financial requirements for stable mine waste storage (particularly tailings dams), and the necessity of inclusive, risk-based emergency response planning. It concludes with a five-step gap analysis process—review, evaluate, prioritize, implement, and monitor—to help governments align their national legal frameworks with international sustainability standards.

The document assesses the global and regional shortfall in biodiversity finance, noting that the world failed to meet any Aichi Biodiversity Targets by 2020. It argues that conservation should be viewed as an investment with a financial return on investment (ROI) rather than a cost. The author explores several 'green' financial instruments—including debt-for-nature swaps, green bonds, 'blue' financing, payment for ecosystem services (PES), and biocredits—as viable options for Africa. It specifically highlights the opportunity provided by COVID-19 recovery packages to implement a 'build forward better' approach, urging African governments and the African Development Bank to lead in mobilising these resources and realigning harmful subsidies toward nature-positive outcomes.

The report assesses the economic and environmental viability of an agroforestry project in Welkenraedt, Belgium, using the SAVi methodology and Copernicus Climate Data Store (CDS) data. The analysis finds that the project, involving approximately 100,000 m2 of hedges and trees, generates net benefits of EUR 3.9 million over 20 years against an investment cost of EUR 607,629. Key benefits include increased agricultural yields via windbreak effects, reduced heat stress for livestock, and enhanced ecosystem services such as carbon sequestration and nutrient removal. Climate projections under RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5 suggest that increasing temperatures and precipitation will make the project more economically attractive by increasing the value of avoided flood damage and water treatment costs.

The report assesses a simulated agroforestry project in Welkenraedt, Belgium, covering approximately 100,000 m2 of hedges and trees. Using the SAVi tool and C3S climate data, the analysis demonstrates that the project is financially viable when environmental and social externalities are included. Key findings include estimated net benefits of 3.9 million euros over 20 years against an investment of 607,629 euros. The study highlights how agroforestry mitigates climate risks, such as reducing heat stress for livestock and preventing soil erosion and nutrient runoff, with benefits expected to increase under RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5 climate scenarios.

The document examines the limitations of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) when applied strictly to watershed boundaries, using the Campoalegre river basin in Colombia as a case study. It highlights how coffee production and hydroelectric power create impacts and dependencies that transcend local boundaries, such as global export markets and downstream ecosystem effects. The text introduces the SEI 'Water without Borders' initiative, which aims to integrate water teleconnections, early ecosystem consideration, and multi-stakeholder participation into water governance.

The project in Myanmar’s Upper Chindwin Basin aims to protect Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) and support sustainable livelihoods. It addresses threats such as commercial mining, logging, and overfishing through the development of Community Action Plans (CAP) and the implementation of sustainable land and water management practices.

The document presents an economic evaluation of the Saloum Delta in Senegal, demonstrating that preserving and restoring mangrove forests is a more cost-effective alternative to 'grey' infrastructure. Using the Sustainable Asset Valuation (SAVi) methodology, it quantifies the financial benefits of ecosystem services and compares them against the costs of built infrastructure and the impacts of various development scenarios, such as organic farming, reforestation, and solar cooking.

The document argues that the 21st century is defined by a conflict between capital and the biosphere, exacerbated by the Anthropocene and mass species extinction. It proposes a post-pandemic recovery for Europe based on three pillars: protecting biodiversity to ensure human health, valuing the local through the care economy and localized supply chains, and accelerating an energy transition to reduce dependence and redistribute wealth. The author emphasizes that sustainability requires a change in the social model and a shift from a culture of vehicle ownership to shared services, while warning against 'greenwashed' solutions and austerity.

The LGCC3 project seeks $10 million in GCF grants to scale up the Local Climate Adaptive Living (LoCAL) model in 15 vulnerable Cambodian districts. The project focuses on strengthening the capacity of sub-national administrations to integrate climate science into planning and budgeting, utilizing a Performance-Based Climate Resilience Grant (PBCRG) mechanism to fund local adaptation investments in infrastructure, livelihoods, and ecosystem services.

The document argues that integrating nature-based solutions (NBS) and flexible tenure systems into urban upgrading schemes can improve living conditions and climate resilience for marginalized populations in African dryland cities. It highlights a pioneering approach in Namibia across three pilot cities and draws on research from the 'Peri-Urban Resilient Ecosystems' partnership involving Namibia, Kenya, and Tanzania.

The document argues that peri-urban ecosystems in India are critical for the resilience of both urban and peri-urban populations but are frequently neglected due to ambiguous administrative boundaries and rapid urbanisation. It highlights the essential services these areas provide, such as flood control, food security, and microclimate regulation, while warning that unplanned infrastructure leads to environmental degradation. The brief recommends integrated, flexible planning at the district level, the revival of District and Metropolitan Planning Committees, and the adoption of participatory, community-led governance to balance development with ecological preservation.

The report argues that global ecological disruption is a critical, underappreciated security threat. It details how the collapse of ecosystem services, biodiversity loss, and environmental crime create systemic risks including pandemics, political instability, and economic harm. The authors advocate for a fundamental reboot of U.S. national security architecture to integrate scientific expertise and prioritize ecological security alongside climate change.

The project aims to protect and restore Key Biodiversity Areas in the Upper Chindwin Basin, Myanmar, through the development of Community Action Plans (CAP) and integrated land and water management. It addresses threats such as commercial mining, logging, and overfishing that have led to the decline of endangered aquatic species and wetland habitats. The initiative focuses on creating environmentally-sensitive livelihoods, establishing conservation zones, and providing policy recommendations to upscale these community-led conservation efforts nationally.

The study identifies mining, logging, dam construction, and agriculture as the primary threats to biodiversity in the Chindwin River Basin. Using a GIS-based Multi-Criteria Decision Making approach and the InVEST model, the research found that 87% of Key Biodiversity Areas provide a high degree of ecosystem services, with the highest levels occurring in the forested northern region of the basin.

The document critiques the concept of 'net zero deforestation,' arguing that it erroneously equates the protection of indigenous forests with the planting of new forests, which cannot replace the 'unrecoverable carbon' and ecosystem services of natural forests. It further asserts that agricultural certifications for soy, such as RTRS and Proterra, are insufficient because they represent only 1.5% to 3% of global production and often allow large-scale monocultures and pesticides. The author calls on banks, insurers, and investors to pressure soy traders like Cargill to stop purchasing soy from land converted after January 1, 2020.

The document evaluates the GPA, a non-binding UNEP programme launched in 1995 to curb land-based marine pollution. While it has successfully set agendas, fostered multi-stakeholder partnerships, and helped 107 countries establish policy frameworks, it has struggled against increasing pollution levels, insufficient funding for developing nations, and a shift toward more specialized, legally binding global treaties.

The authors highlight a gap in the understanding of how soil microbiota influence peatland functioning and the recovery of ecosystem services. They propose a phased approach to research: short-term characterization of microbial communities, medium-term definition of 'target' microbiomes for carbon cycle services, and long-term application of this knowledge to restoration practices. The paper emphasizes that multidisciplinary collaboration and genetic characterization are essential to meeting climate targets and ensuring cost-effective ecosystem service delivery.

The document argues for a broad interpretation of 'legitimate interest' in environmental litigation, asserting that any person with a link to a vulnerable ecosystem service—even if indirect or remote—should have legal standing. It specifically applies this to the expansion of the Port of Veracruz, detailing how the project threatens the Veracruz Reef System (SAV) through sedimentation, destruction of coastal dunes, water pollution, and air degradation, thereby violating the human right to a healthy environment.

The 'Agua Sin Límites' initiative seeks to evolve water management beyond traditional Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM), which the authors argue has failed to produce sustainable results. The initiative focuses on three pillars: analyzing water connections beyond the immediate basin, implementing multi-scale participatory approaches to address inequalities (including gender and poverty), and integrating ecosystem needs early in the planning process. These frameworks are being tested through pilot studies in the Mekong and Magdalena river basins, as well as reflecting on work in California.