Some time ago, I have announced that the news category that I have created for the Biodiversity Offsets Blog, entitled “Biodiversity Offsets Newsweek”, would be replaced by another tool. Not so much different (same style and structure), this new tool is entitled “Biodiversity Offsets Newsmonth”. As you may guess, the concept stays the same, only the timeframe changes — from weekly to monthly. I decided to do so for several reasons: First, information didn’t always get in “on time” and there were often interesting news I heard of some time after the week the actually referred to (yes, even the internet has its response time!). Second, I didn’t always manage to do this on time, but clear routines are important for this. And third, and most importantly, if anyone wants to go through this in retrospective it is far more annoying to click through 52 posts for one year than to search only twelve, but more extensive, though. Hope this will help as a useful documentation tool.
About the Biodiversity Offsets Newsmonth
If you are interested in environmental compensation and biodiversity offsets, there are certainly good news: there is now a whole bunch of information from different sources, 
locations and viewpoints publicly available (something which wasn’t this easy only a couple of years ago). Now, as has been pointed out (see here) the Biodiversity Offsets Blog aims to compile and somewhat structure this information. But there is not only a wealth of sources already out there on the internet, but also new sources are continuously being added. I am following and collecting the news via Scoop.it and cover the most trending ones in posts on the Biodiversity Offsets Blog. Nevertheless, not all news can be covered (at least not yet) and therefore the “Biodiversity Offsets Newsmonth” lists up the headlines of the past month, together with the links and PDFs of the articles or news.
This month: January 2015
This is the first Newsmonth in 2015 (and the first ever). Two interesting papers have been published: the first is an empirical analysis of biodiversity offset markets at the case of wetland mitigation banking by Anne-Charlotte Vaissière and Harold Levrel and the second is a paper that describes the development of the Australian environmental offsets policy at federal level (by Katherine Miller et al.). Furthermore, the Business and Biodiversity Offsets Program published an updated report on the Ambatovy case study (Madagascar).
A vast majority of news originates from Australia, including information on legal and policy related issues and mostly related to biodiversity offsets for specific development projects in the mining sector.
Another key aspect was the EU No Net Loss Initiative. The results of the related public consultation were made publicly available online, together with another study on biodiversity metrics and mechanisms for securing long term conservation benefits of biodiversity offsets. The temporary close issuing of these two raised concern (e.g. by NGO FERN): “European Commission’s biodiversity offset report shows it is deaf to the concerns of EU citizens”.
There were single news from the US, the UK and most interestingly from Uganda (“Why we must preserve environment in the oil region”).
Furthermore, some light was shed on the ongoing loss of biodiversity and last but not least, an interesting article suggested to consider “Moral offsetting”, whereas another prosaic text described habitat relocation and biodiversity offsets from the perspective of animals (The Wild Wood and the Railway).
Biodiversity offset news from Academia
Biodiversity offset markets: What are they really? An empirical approach to wetland mitigation banking, new paper by Anne-Charlotte Vaissière and Harold Levrel, January 1, 2015, in Ecological Economics
BBOP Ambatovy case study: Working towards NNL of Biodiversity and Beyond. Ambatovy, Madagascar – A Case Study (2014)
The development of the Australian environmental offsets policy: from theory to practice, January 14, 2015, by Miller et al.
Biodiversity offsets in Australia
The year of bilateral agreements in WA, January 7, 2015, by Karen Browne, Olivia Williamson and Kylie Panckhurst
Government Bulletin Summer Edition – year in review, January 13, 2015, by Christine Jones (legislation in Australia)
Six things Queensland’s next government must do to save the Great Barrier Reef, January 18, 2015, by the conversation
Strong smell of gas, January 22, 2015, by Alena Higgins (see also here)
NSW environment officer releases scathing resignation letter, January 21, 2015
Protesters expected at Colton Mine court case, January 22, 2015, by Jessica Grewal
Former environment employee blasts miners’ dominance in NSW, January 22, 2015, by Peter Hannam
Environmental impact of Western Highway works a concern, January 23, 2015
Giant Shenhua Watermark coal mine in the Liverpool Plains approved, January 29, 2015, by Peter Hannam
Biodiversity offsets in the US
How to take a filthy creek and make an Emerald Corridor, January 23, 2015, by Maggie Lee
Biodiversity Offsets in Canada
Protecting the habitat of species at risk while developing energy sources
January 1, 2015, by Amin Asadollahi
No Net Loss Initiative of the EU and related report
Results of the No Net Loss Public Consultation, January 9, 2015, by European Commission
Study on specific design elements of biodiversity offsets: Biodiversity metrics and mechanisms for securing long term conservation benefits, by European Commission
European Commission’s biodiversity offset report shows it is deaf to the concerns of EU citizens, January 16, 2015, press release by FERN
Brussels is warned against biodiversity offsetting law, January 15, 2015, by Valerie Flynn
Biodiversity offsets needs legal requirements – EU study, January 21, 2015, by Valerie Flynn
Biodiversity offsets in the UK
Ex-Environment Secretary Owen Paterson’s plans for ancient woodland get the axe, January 30, 2015, by Tom Bawden
Biodiversity Offsets in Uganda
Why we must preserve environment in the oil region, January 15, 2015, by Moses Mugwisa
Ongoing biodiversity loss
Human Activity Risks Pushing Earth to Cusp of Danger Zone, January 17, 2015, by James Maynard
Relocation of animals could drive some species towards extinction – study, January 23, 2015, by Oliver Milman
Wider context of biodiversity offsets
Forget carbon offsetting, insetting is the future, January 9, 2015, by Tim Smedley
Moral Offsetting, January 7, 2015, by Neil Levy
The Wild Wood and the Railway, January 15, 2015, by Bill Adams
PDFs of the Articles/Links
To prevent to loose information find the Pdfs of the articles or news below — as we know, that unfortunately every now and then things are being removed from the internet.
[PDFs will follow soon]