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The Stockholm Environment Institute's Water Beyond Boundaries (WBB) initiative aims to evolve water planning beyond the traditional Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) framework, which the authors argue has not yet yielded sustainable outcomes. WBB focuses on three pillars: analyzing water connections beyond the immediate watershed, integrating ecosystem needs throughout the planning process, and employing multi-scale participatory approaches to address inequalities related to gender, poverty, and marginalized groups. The initiative is being piloted in the Magdalena River Basin in Colombia and the Mekong region in South East Asia, while drawing on previous work in California, USA.

The project focuses on the conservation of Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) in Myanmar's Chin State, specifically targeting wetland ecosystems. It aims to implement Community Action Plans (CAPs) and sustainable livelihood strategies to protect endangered species, such as the Burmese roofed turtle, while improving the socio-economic conditions of local populations who rely heavily on fisheries and agriculture.

The document outlines the framework of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), which aims to conserve biodiversity, ensure sustainable use of its components, and facilitate fair benefit-sharing of genetic resources. It details the roles of the Nagoya and Cartagena Protocols in managing access to genetic resources and the biosafety of living modified organisms. The brief highlights the failure to meet the Aichi Biodiversity Targets and discusses the impact of emerging technologies, such as synthetic biology and digital sequence information, on global biodiversity governance. It concludes by emphasizing the need for a post-2020 global biodiversity framework to reverse the extinction risk facing up to one million species.

The paper examines the impact of environmental policies on ethnic minorities in the Dong Phuc commune of Vietnam, finding that tenure and environmental policies often reinforce pre-existing ethnic inequalities and use conservation discourses to justify the appropriation of natural resources.

The document argues that the CAP's governance structure is too weak to guarantee the achievement of the European Green Deal (EGD) targets. It highlights that the European Commission lacks the legal power to reject national Strategic Plans (SPs) based on non-binding EGD strategies, cannot force modifications to plans even when they conflict with EU environmental legislation, and possesses monitoring tools—such as interim evaluations—that lack binding legal consequences for Member States.

The document examines the framework of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), highlighting the urgent need to move beyond the status quo to reverse unprecedented biodiversity loss. It details the CBD's three main goals—conservation, sustainable use, and the fair sharing of benefits—and evaluates the impact of related agreements like the Nagoya and Cartagena protocols. The text also addresses the challenges posed by emerging technologies such as synthetic biology and digital sequence information, concluding that the failure to meet Aichi Biodiversity Targets necessitates an ambitious post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework.

The Canadian Climate Institute introduces a framework of 11 indicators to track 'clean growth' in Canada, balancing economic prosperity with climate action. The report identifies that while most provinces have decoupled GDP growth from GHG emissions since 2005, significant gaps remain in technology adoption, data collection for climate costs, and the protection of vulnerable populations and ecosystems. It argues for a 'skeptical optimism' approach, where governments actively resolve barriers to transition rather than assuming growth will naturally follow emission declines.

The project aims to restore 471,500 hectares of land in Ghana's Northern Savannah Zone to achieve 6.139 million tCO2e in emission reductions over seven years and 25.24 million tCO2e over 20 years. Key interventions include restoring 200,000 hectares of savannah forests under community management (CREMA), restoring 100,000 hectares of shea parklands through public-private partnerships, and establishing 18,500 hectares of Modified Taungya System (MTS) plantations in forest reserves. The project specifically targets the empowerment of 20,000 women collectors by increasing their incomes by 30-50% through improved shea value chain efficiencies. Total financing is 54,546,775 USD, with 30,100,000 USD requested as a grant from the Green Climate Fund.

The paper argues that traditional GDP-based metrics are insufficient for managing ocean economies because they ignore natural capital sustainability and social equity. It proposes the 'Ocean Accounts Framework' as a holistic alternative that integrates environmental, social, and economic data. To implement this in Africa, the authors suggest a roadmap involving cross-sectoral data sharing, international collaboration, and pilot studies in coastal regions to build human capacity and assess applicability.

The document outlines a 24-month readiness project requesting USD 1,312,296 to support eight Central American countries in developing a regional GCF concept note. The initiative targets the protection of the 'Five Great Forests'—transboundary forest systems spanning from Mexico to Colombia—by addressing illegal cattle ranching, strengthening Indigenous land tenure, and aligning national climate strategies (NDCs). Key activities include stakeholder mapping, vulnerability assessments for Indigenous Peoples, the creation of a land tenure database, and the development of economic models for forest-based livelihoods.

The Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) has proposed a revised Scientific Agenda to its Conference of the Parties. This update aligns the agenda with the IAI Strategic Plan, emphasizing transdisciplinary science and the integration of human systems. The proposed agenda is organized into four primary research themes: human dimensions and policy consequences, climate variability in the Americas, ecosystems and biodiversity, and the chemical composition of the atmosphere, oceans, and freshwater. These themes aim to address regional sustainability, including food and water security, climate adaptation, and biodiversity conservation across the Americas.

The SAVi assessment finds that the Kalivaç and Poçem hydropower projects (HPPs) are uneconomic, producing higher costs and societal burdens than benefits. When integrating externalities, the HPPs' levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) is more than 2.5 times higher than that of solar PV. The report highlights significant negative externalities, particularly the loss of agricultural land and tourism potential along the Vjosa River, and notes that the projects are not financially attractive at domestic electricity prices of EUR 55/MWh.

The report uses the Sustainable Asset Valuation (SAVi) tool to quantify the economic importance of the Saloum Delta's wetlands and mangroves. It compares a business-as-usual (BAU) scenario against interventions such as organic agriculture, mangrove reforestation, road construction, solar cookstoves, and oil extraction. The analysis highlights a significant trade-off: while oil extraction generates massive near-term revenues, it causes substantial losses in ecosystem services. Conversely, nature-based interventions like mangrove restoration and organic agriculture provide long-term economic gains through enhanced ecosystem performance and labour income. The report also proposes blended finance strategies, including carbon offsets and impact bonds, to fund conservation.

The report uses the Sustainable Asset Valuation (SAVi) methodology to quantify the economic contribution of the Saloum Delta's wetlands and mangroves. It compares a 'business-as-usual' (BAU) scenario with interventions such as organic farming, mangrove reforestation, solar cookers, road construction, and oil extraction. The analysis highlights a tension between long-term natural capital gains and short-term industrial revenues, specifically noting that while oil extraction generates high direct income, it severely degrades ecosystem services. The document proposes blended finance mechanisms, including carbon offsets and impact bonds, to incentivize conservation.

The report demonstrates that the S’Ena Arrubia and Corru S’Ittiri-Marceddì-San Giovanni wetlands provide substantial economic value through ecosystem services and the support of local aquaculture, tourism, and agriculture. It finds that a 'continued degradation' scenario would lead to significant losses in labour income and ecosystem service value, while a circular business model for reusing livestock manure could generate net benefits of EUR 81.3 million for S’Ena Arrubia and EUR 124.2 million for Corru S’Ittiri-Marceddì-San Giovanni. The analysis argues that the cost of maintaining these wetlands is far lower than the cost of replacing their functions with built infrastructure.

The report analyzes the link between synthetic nitrogen fertilizer use in the Midwest and the formation of a hypoxic 'dead zone' in the Gulf of Mexico. It estimates that agricultural nitrogen losses have caused between $552 million and $2.4 billion in annual damages to Gulf fisheries and marine habitat ecosystem services since 1980. The authors argue that shifting to sustainable agricultural practices—such as cover cropping and conservation tillage—can reduce these losses, providing a significant return on investment by restoring marine productivity and improving soil resilience for farmers.

The Big Shift Coalition calls on the World Bank Group to utilize development policy loans (DPLs) to accelerate the transition to renewable energy and decarbonization, particularly during COVID-19 recovery. The coalition expresses concern that DPLs continue to facilitate fossil fuel investments, citing a review showing that 52 of 121 DPLs from FY 2014-18 targeted oil, gas, or coal mining. They recommend a new operational policy prohibiting the financing of fossil fuel development and the inclusion of coal, oil, and natural gas in 'Excluded Expenditures' legal agreements. Finally, the coalition requests public consultation and transparency regarding the World Bank's ongoing review of its policy lending instrument.

The document argues that environmental monitoring and enforcement focused on primary deforestation created a positive externality by deterring illegal activities more broadly, leading to increased natural regeneration in the Amazon. It highlights a critical gap in current monitoring systems (PRODES and DETER), which cannot detect secondary vegetation loss, and recommends that Brazil integrate tropical regeneration into its public policy agenda to enhance climate goals and ecosystem services.

The policy brief estimates that the construction of the EF-170 Ferrogrão railway will induce the deforestation of 2,043 square kilometers of native vegetation in Mato Grosso if no mitigation measures are implemented. This land-use change is projected to release 75 million tonnes of carbon, representing an environmental cost of approximately US$ 1.9 billion, which is about 60% of the project's estimated implementation cost of US$ 3.1 billion. The analysis uses a 'market access' approach to show how improved logistics for grain producers will increase demand for land, specifically affecting 38 municipalities.

The document evaluates the environmental risks of the EF-170 Ferrogrão railroad, estimating that without mitigation, the project will induce 2,043 square kilometers of deforestation in Mato Grosso. This land-use change is projected to release 75 million tons of carbon, creating an environmental cost of approximately US$1.9 billion, which represents about 60% of the railroad's estimated US$3.1 billion implementation cost.