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The 2022 Regional Assessment of the Congo Basin reveals that while the region is a critical global carbon sink, deforestation increased in 2021 by 4.9% compared to the 2018-20 period. Only Gabon and the Republic of the Congo are currently aligned with the trajectory to end deforestation by 2030. The report identifies subsistence agriculture and infrastructure development as primary drivers, while noting that industrial mining and logging cause the most severe damage to intact core forests. Despite the existence of legal frameworks and international funding commitments, such as the USD 1.5 billion Joint Declaration for the Congo Basin, the report highlights significant gaps in policy enforcement, land tenure security for Indigenous peoples and local communities, and the alignment of economic development plans with forest conservation goals.

The Congo Basin, the world's second-largest tropical forest and a critical carbon sink, experienced an increase in deforestation in 2021, reaching 636,000 hectares. While historically low, current trends show that only Gabon and the Republic of the Congo are aligned with the 2030 goal of zero deforestation. Primary drivers include small-scale subsistence agriculture combined with road construction, though industrial mining and logging pose severe risks to intact forest landscapes. Despite the existence of legal frameworks and international funding commitments—such as $1.5 billion from COP26 donors—implementation is hindered by poor governance, land tenure insecurity for indigenous peoples, and a lack of intersectoral policy alignment. The report emphasizes the need for stronger community land rights and more transparent, quantifiable financial mechanisms to protect this vital ecological region.

The Seal River Watershed in northern Manitoba is a 50,000 km2 area that is 99.97% intact and serves as one of Canada's largest free-flowing drainage basins. The report highlights its critical role in biodiversity, storing 1.7 billion tonnes of carbon and supporting species at risk such as polar bears and barren-ground caribou. Economically, the watershed provides at least CAD 214 million in annual ecosystem goods and services (EGS), including ecotourism and caribou harvesting, while the stored carbon is valued at CAD 314.5 billion. The document advocates for the creation of an Indigenous Protected Area (IPA) led by the Sayisi Dene, Northlands Denesuline, Barren Lands First Nation, and O-Pipon-Na-Piwin Cree Nation to prevent threats from mining, hydroelectricity, and road development. It suggests the Manitoba government implement interim protections, establish a feasibility committee, and provide technical support for Indigenous Guardians programs.

The document examines how healthy soils in agriculture and natural ecosystems (forests, wetlands, and grasslands) can act as carbon sinks. It highlights regenerative agriculture practices, the importance of protecting peatlands and native prairies, and the role of Indigenous knowledge. However, it warns that soil sequestration cannot replace the need for greenhouse gas emission cuts and faces challenges such as measurement standardization and the risk of displacing food production.

The document examines the greenhouse gas (GHG) footprint of palm oil, noting that emissions range from -0.3 to over 20 kgCO2e/kg CPO, with an average of approximately 6 kgCO2e/kg CPO. The primary drivers of these emissions are land-use change (LUC), particularly the conversion of tropical forests and peatlands, and the degradation of palm oil mill effluent (POME). The report highlights that emissions are highly spatially heterogeneous, with peat-based production being significantly more carbon-intensive than mineral-soil production. Mitigation strategies focus on preventing further deforestation and peatland development, managing water tables in existing peatlands, and implementing POME treatment technologies such as biogas capture and composting. The document also compares production characteristics across key regions, noting that Southeast Asia has the highest yields and production volumes, while West Africa has the lowest.

The document analyzes the proposed EU Nature Restoration Law, supporting its overarching target to restore 20% of EU land and sea by 2030 but arguing that many specific targets lack sufficient ambition or quantification. It calls for increased targets for terrestrial and marine habitats, the removal of 15% of river barriers by 2030, and the expansion of peatland restoration beyond agricultural land to include forestry. The authors emphasize the need for clear national accountability, strengthened non-deterioration obligations, and dedicated EU funding to ensure the regulation's success in mitigating climate change and biodiversity loss.

The research paper presents the 'Two-Roads Approach' and the 'Intercultural Reclamation and Closure Framework' as methods to address the exclusion of Indigenous rights holders from oil sands mine closure planning in Canada. Developed through a partnership between Fort McKay First Nation and academic researchers, these tools aim to bridge Western scientific perspectives with Cree and Dene knowledge. Key outputs include the 'Cycle of Respect'—an intercultural code of conduct—and a six-stage framework for co-reclamation. The document emphasizes that restoring peatlands (muskeg) and forests is a critical climate mitigation action and that inclusive reclamation serves as a form of reconciliation for the degradation of traditional territories.

The research paper details a partnership between the Fort McKay First Nation, the Universities of Calgary and Waterloo, and the oil sands industry to address gaps in mine reclamation policies. It introduces the 'two-eyed approach' for intercultural governance, the 'Respect Cycle' as an ethical code for collaboration, and an 'Intercultural Closure and Reclamation Framework' consisting of six phases to ensure restored lands provide socio-economic, cultural, and environmental benefits. The document emphasizes that inclusive reclamation is a form of reconciliation and essential for an ethical energy transition in Canada.

The document contends that global and European food insecurity is a problem of distribution, access, and utilization rather than production. It highlights that the EU is a net exporter of agri-food products and that a significant portion of its cereal production is used for animal feed and biofuels rather than human consumption. The text argues that industrial agricultural practices drive the climate and biodiversity crises, which in turn threaten food yields through pollinator loss and extreme weather. It advocates for a transition to agro-ecological practices and the adoption of the EU Nature Restoration Law with ambitious, enforceable targets to capture carbon and protect ecosystem services.

The European Union has proposed a regulation to prevent commodities linked to deforestation and forest degradation from entering its market. While the author views the draft as an ambitious step toward reducing greenhouse gas emissions and protecting biodiversity, they identify four critical areas for improvement: clarifying definitions of 'forest' and 'agricultural use', expanding the scope to include rubber and other ecosystems like peatlands, increasing transparency through public disclosure of company declarations, and implementing targeted supply-side engagement to protect smallholder producers.

The Seal River Watershed is a 50,000 km2 region in Northern Manitoba that is 99.97% intact and free-flowing. The report estimates that the watershed provides at least CAD 214 million in annual EGS, primarily driven by the non-use value of species conservation. Additionally, the carbon stored in its peatlands, wetlands, and forests is valued at CAD 314.5 billion based on the social cost of carbon. The document argues that Indigenous stewardship through an Indigenous Protected Area is the most effective way to preserve these values against risks from mining, all-weather roads, and water diversion.

The document details the disproportionate impact of climate change on Central Africa, highlighting significant temperature increases, biodiversity loss, and economic decline. It emphasizes the critical need for transformative adaptation and increased climate finance to mitigate future risks to health, food security, and infrastructure.

The 'Resilient Puna' project aims to protect 120,000 hectares of puna ecosystems in the Southern High Andes of Peru (SHAP) to secure water and livelihoods for approximately 583,000 direct beneficiaries. The initiative focuses on restoring peatlands, wetlands, and grasslands using ancestral techniques like qochas and amunas, while transitioning subsistence farmers toward sustainable agribusinesses. It establishes a 'Puna Facility' to leverage public and private finance, including Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) and carbon credits, to ensure long-term sustainability. The project is led by GIZ and Profonanpe, with strong institutional support from Peru's Ministry of Agricultural Development and Irrigation (MIDAGRI).

The NewClimate Institute proposes a rating system to categorize agribusinesses based on their consistency with Paris Agreement mitigation objectives, providing guidance for development finance on when to exclude, engage, or scale up funding. The system ranges from 'misaligned'—covering activities that drive deforestation or rely on air freight—to 'aligned,' which identifies businesses following best practices in soil carbon, manure management, and plant-based protein production.

The report examines the ecological importance of Arctic wetlands, particularly their role in global carbon storage and biodiversity, while analyzing the public policy frameworks used by Arctic states to manage them. It highlights that while scientific knowledge of wetland functions is extensive, significant gaps exist in policy coherence, the influence of societal interest networks, and real-time mapping. The document advocates for a Social-Ecological Systems (SES) approach to stewardship, emphasizing the necessity of indigenous and local community participation and the adoption of advanced geospatial AI tools to improve wetland inventories and monitoring.

The research synthesizes literature and expert elicitation to quantify drivers of change affecting peatland carbon stocks and highlights the critical gap in current climate modeling frameworks, which largely omit peatland ecosystems.

The document argues that the current CAP reform proposal is misaligned with the European Green Deal, lacking quantified targets and sufficient safeguards to prevent the funding of environmentally harmful farming practices.

The study compared rotational burning, mowing, and uncut controls in UK blanket bogs to determine their effects on peat-forming vegetation and ecosystem services. Findings indicate that mowing generally better supports 'active' bog communities and improves water table levels and flood alleviation, though it may increase phosphorus export. Burning was found to be the least beneficial for supporting active vegetation, and both burning and mowing caused plots to switch from net carbon sinks to net sources immediately following management.

The study found that while heavy machinery used for cutting did not cause lasting plot-level impacts on peat depth or bulk density, it did reduce surface micro-topography by approximately 2 cm by removing hummock tops. Burning showed no significant difference from uncut plots in these metrics. The authors suggest cutting is a suitable alternative to burning, though they note that compaction may be site-specific and micro-topography preservation may require adjustments to machinery and cutting height.

The research investigates the impact of peat shrinkage and expansion, driven by water table fluctuations, on carbon stock assessments in northern England's blanket bogs. By comparing different heather management practices (burning, mowing, and uncut) and vegetation types, the study suggests that apparent carbon losses attributed to temperature-driven decomposition may actually be caused by these physical surface changes. The authors recommend the precise recording of bulk density and total peat depth to ensure accurate carbon stock estimates.