684 Briefly INTERNATIONAL
Palm oil sector threatens progress to UN goal of ending deforestation The palm oil sector has made significant advances in commitments to zero defores- tation but evidence of implementation is widely lacking, reveals the latest assessment by the Zoological Society of London. The assessment marks a decade of evaluating progress in the industry’s environmental, social and governance public disclosures. Although it reveals steady progress in com- panies adopting zero deforestation commit- ments, crucial gaps in implementation threaten progress towards the global goal of ending and reversing deforestation by 2030. The team behind the report is urging the palm oil sector to enhance transparency and accountability, asking companies to publicly report on how they are eliminating deforestation. Investors and buyers must also share the responsibility by actively en- gaging with companies, ensuring their com- mitments are implemented. Source: Zoological Society of London (2024)
zsl.org/news-and-events/news/palm-oil- sector-threatens-progress-un-goal-ending- deforestation
Devastating extinction of the slender-billed curlew Scientists published an objective analysis indicating the extinction of the slender- billed curlew Numenius tenuirostris,a migratory shorebird that once bred in western Siberia andwinteredaround the Mediterranean. It was last recorded in north Morocco in 1995. This is the first known global bird extinction from mainland Europe, North Africa and West Asia. The IUCN Red List currently recognizes 164 bird species to have become extinct since 1500, out of more than 11,000 species that have had their conservation status assessed by BirdLife International, the global Red List Authority for birds. The causes of the curlew’s decline may never be fully under- stood, but possible factors include extensive drainage of their raised bog breeding grounds for agricultural use, the loss of coastal wetlands used for winter feeding, and hunting of an already reduced, fragmented and declining population. There could have been additional effects of pollution, disease, predation and climate change, but the scale of these impacts is unknown. Source: BirdLife International (2024)
birdlife.org/news/2024/11/18/new- publication-indicates-devastating- extinction-of-the-slender-billed-curlew
Dolphins breathe in microplastics, possibly damaging their lungs Dolphins in the Gulf ofMexico are inhaling microplastics, which could lead to lung problems. Researchers at the College of Charleston, USA, carried out routine catch- and-release health assessments on five bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus from Sarasota Bay, Florida, and six from Barataria Bay, Louisiana, in 2023.During the checks, they held a petri dish above the animals’ blowholes, looking for any bits of plastic in their breath. To ensure the dishes weren’t picking up microplastics floating in the air generally, they held a second petri dish away from the blowholes to collect control samples. They found that all of the dolphins exhaled microplastics. Fifty-four suchpieceswere collectedintotal, evidencing that dolphins are breathing in microplastics, whichisprobablya global
problem.The team did not investigate whether these particles were harming the dolphins, but previous research suggests they could be. Sources: PLOS One (2024)
doi.org/nng6 & New Scientist (2024)
newscientist.com/ article/2452155-dolphins-breathe-in- microplastics-and-it-could-be-damaging- their-lungs
WWF Living Planet Report: a planet in crisis TheWWFLiving Planet Report 2024 high- lights a global crisis, revealing a dramatic decline of 73% in wildlife populations over 50 years. This decline, measured by the Living Planet Index (LPI) and observed dur- ing 1970–2020,demonstrates thatEarth’s biodiversity is under immense threat, with severe consequences not only for natural ecosystems but also human survival. The LPI, developed by the Zoological Society of London, monitors nearly 35,000 population trends across 5,495 species. It shows the ex- tent to which our natural world is in peril, and warns that the ecosystems we depend on are rapidly deteriorating. The report identifies habitat degradation and loss, dri- ven primarily by unsustainable agriculture, as the most significant threat to biodiversity globally. In the Arctic, however, climate change is the primary driver of biodiversity loss, exacerbating other environmental pressures in this already fragile region. The LPI is a crucial tool for understanding the health of ecosystems by monitoring changes in animal populations over time. Declines in population sizes serve as early warning signs of rising extinction risks and the potential collapse of ecosystems. Source: WWF (2024)
arcticwwf.org/ newsroom/features/wwf-living-planet- report-2024-a-planet-in-crisis
Global environmental organizations unite to scale outcomes AttheUNBiodiversityConferenceinOctober 2024,Conservation International,TheNature Conservancy, The Pew Charitable Trusts, Re:wild, The Wildlife Conservation Society andWWFin theUSAannounced the forma- tion of a coalition toscale climate and conser- vation outcomes through the use of sovereign debt conversions. Although .200 nations share commongoals as part of theKunming– Montreal GlobalBiodiversity Framework and Paris Agreement, financing has fallen short andat leastUSD200billionareneededinadd- itional annualfundingtoachieve these targets. Scaling sovereign debt conversions could be part of the solution, with a potential to unlock uptoUSD100billioninclimate andnaturefi- nance, according to Coalition estimates. In a debt conversion project, a government works with an NGO and other stakeholders to de- velop climate and conservation commitments that arepaidforthroughsavings fromrefinan- cing externally held commercial sovereign debt. These projects are a win–win–win for governments, local communities and nature. Source: Re:wild (2024)
rewild.org/press/ global-environmental-organizations-unite- to-scale-climate-and-conservation- outcomes-through-sovereign-debt- conversions
Local voices are key to success of 30 × 30 nature goal Ahead of the crucial global talks on saving na- ture at the 2024 Conference of the Parties (CoP16) to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, NGO Fauna & Flora has urged decision-makers to put more power into local hands. The Global Biodiversity Frame- work target 3 (commonly referred to as 30 × 30) calls for 30%ofland, inland water and ocean to be in protected and conserved areas by 2030,with requirements for effective- ness, connectivity, ecological representation, social equity and human rights. There is a growing recognition of theneedtobetter inte- grate local people into decision-making, and of the vital contributions of locally led initia- tives. Yet how well these approaches work for both people and nature is poorly under- stood. A new research report, commissioned by Fauna & Flora, indicates that locally led conservation projects can have a greater im- pact and be more enduring than large-scale, oftenstate-run,projects. It provides arapid re- viewof available evidence for the effectiveness of locally managed protected areas, their im- plications for human rights and how global conservation organizations are responding. Source: Fauna & Flora (2024) fauna-flora. org/news/local-voices-key-to-success-of- 30×30-nature-goal
Oryx, 2024, 58(6), 683–688 © The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Fauna & Flora International doi:10.1017/S0030605325000195
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