Catch up on the main nature policy news from June

 
 
 

Bonn climate talks come up short on nature integration ahead of COP30

Delegates at the Bonn Climate Change sessions wrapped up the last major technical talks before COP30 in Brazil without making headway on formally embedding nature in the climate negotiations.

Despite increasing recognition that the climate and nature crises must be addressed together, there is still no official negotiation item on the topic under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

However, countries emphasized national-level efforts to align policies.  Brazil’s COP30 Presidency letter highlighted stewarding forests, oceans and biodiversity as a key objective of the negotiations while halting deforestation and restoring ecosystems were identified as central actions to achieve implementation goals..

It’s hard to imagine a better opportunity to bring together nature and climate than this year’s COP. The host city, Belém is an economic hub situated at the mouth of the Amazon River, in the middle of the most biodiverse region on Earth. Still, there’s more work to be done to elevate the role of nature ahead of and during COP.

Bridging the nature-climate gap is essential for businesses, enabling them to engage more effectively, better understand expectations and align their strategies and transition plans accordingly. It is therefore, key to unlocking scaled private sector contribution.

Omnibus Package EU Parliament and Council look to water down sustainability regulation

The foundations of EU sustainability reporting continue to be challenged. We’ve already covered recent developments on the Omnibus over the past few months, including in our April and May updates, but  we are now gaining a clearer picture of how this legislation might unfold at the end of the year.

Negotiations over the European Union’s second part of the Omnibus Package have advanced, but both the European Parliament and Council are proposing changes that could further weaken the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD).

The Council has formally proposed raising the CSDDD’s threshold to only apply to companies with over 5,000 employees and €1.5 billion in turnover, which effectively exempts most EU businesses. Meanwhile, the Parliament’s lead negotiator aims to reduce CSRD requirements to cover only companies with 3,000 or more employees, as well as eliminate the obligation for businesses to implement climate transition plans.

This potential deregulation creates uncertainty and penalizes forward-thinking companies that have already invested in sustainability. It also weakens the level playing field for businesses that are ready to take credible action for nature.

In response to these developments, nearly 200 businesses, investors and organizations have signed a statement urging EU legislators to uphold the core principles of the CSRD and CSDDD. They warn that deregulation undermines their competitiveness and jeopardizes investor certainty and long-term growth. The statement can be endorsed until 29 August.

United States looks to roll back forest protection policy

A 20-year-old rule protecting vast US national forests is in the process of being rolled back. The US Department of Agriculture argues this is for fire prevention, while conservation groups say the data proves the opposite.

As anticipated earlier this year, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced it is rescinding the Roadless Area Conservation Rule, a longstanding policy that has protected nearly 24 million hectares of US national forests from road construction and logging.

This “will remove prohibitions on road construction, reconstruction and timber harvest,” according to the USDA. A few months ago, the Department signaled its intention to reverse federal policies that prevent logging and timber production, thereby enabling better fire prevention, according to the administration.

This argument and the overall decision have been questioned by various groups, including The Wilderness Society, a land conservation organization dedicated to protecting natural areas and federal public lands. Its recent data analysis contradicts the fire prevention argument, indicating that forest areas with roads are nearly four times more likely to experience wildfires compared to those without roads.

Healthy and sustainably managed forests are essential for thriving communities and economies, providing clean air, water and vital resources. Removing these long-standing protections puts those benefits and the people and businesses that rely on them at risk.

Nigeria and Brazil release biodiversity targets that integrate business

Nigeria and Brazil recently joined a growing list of countries that have updated their National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs). Nigeria published its updated NBSAP, while Brazil’s government adopted its national biodiversity targets as law.

By 2030, both countries plan to adopt policies and measures to achieve Target 15 of the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) - to make nature assessment and disclosure mandatory. Nigeria aims to “ensure” that large companies specifically assess and disclose their biodiversity dependencies, impacts and risks, while Brazil seeks to “enable” companies to do the same.

Both countries also took steps towards target 18 of the GBF - reforming environmentally harmful subsidies (EHS). Nigeria’s government commits to identifying and gradually reforming or repurposing 50% of the country’s EHS by 2026, with plans to address all subsidies by 2030. Ultimately, it aims to eliminate subsidies for fertilizer and gas.

Brazil also commits to “identifying and prioritizing” EHS by 2026, so these can be reviewed, reduced or eliminated by 2030. Since the Ministry of Environment is still developing the detailed action plan to achieve all of Brazil’s targets, it’s unknown how the country plans to conduct the EHS reform.

Both targets 15 and 18 are key levers for governments to integrate the roles of businesses and financial institutions in implementing policies, so it’s great news that these countries are acting on them with through their NBSAPs and national biodiversity targets.

See our Guidance for governments on GBF implementation, including targets 15, 18 and NBSAP updates.

Momentum and missed opportunities UN Ocean Conference ends with mixed results

The 2025 UN Oceans Conference (UNOC3), held in Nice, France, marked growing global recognition of the ocean’s role in the biodiversity and climate agendas. Over 20 new Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) were announced, countries accelerated ratifications of the High Seas Treaty and there was growing support for the World Trade Organization (WTO)’s treaty to curb harmful fisheries subsidies.

 

Despite positive steps and good momentum, political leaders failed to take decisive action against some of the riskiest activities for healthy marine ecosystems, like deep-sea mining and bottom trawling. These missed opportunities underline the urgency of accelerating ambition and effective implementation of policies and practices that go beyond pledges. For a more in-depth analysis of the conference, you can read Business for Nature’s UNOC3 wrap-up article.

Caught up on June? Go back to the May news update to catch up on previous nature policy stories from around the world.    

 
 
 
 
ArticlesBusiness for Naturepolicy, Policy update, EU Commission, Latin America