Region Archives: International

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Scientists have uncovered three new toad species that have been hiding in plain sight. These hauntingly beautiful tree toads from Tanzania’s Eastern Arc Mountains have an unusual way of reproducing. Unlike many other frogs and toads, they give birth to live young rather than lay eggs. A description of the three latest additions has been published in the journal Vertebrate Zoology opens in a new window. They are now called Nectophrynoides saliensis, Nectophrynoides uhehe and Nectophrynoides luhomeroensis. All frogs in this genus were originally thought to belong to a single species first described from Tanzania’s Southern Highlands in 1905. But cutting-edge genomic sampling has helped reveal that there are actually multiple species. …Scientists now believe that skipping the tadpole phase enables these frogs to reproduce away from water. Each new species of Nectophrynoides has since been found to share this live-bearing strategy.

Jakarta — Over 120 forestry leaders and experts from 20 countries across the Asia-Pacific have convened in Chiang Mai this week to strengthen regional collaboration on sustainable forest management under the theme “Healthy Forests Feed the Future”, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said in a statement. The gathering marks the Thirty-First Session of the Asia-Pacific Forestry Commission (APFC 31) and Asia-Pacific Forestry Week 2025, jointly hosted by Thailand’s Royal Forest Department and FAO. “This platform reinforces our shared commitment to conserve forests as a source of life, livelihoods, and food security,” said Nikorn Siratochananon, Director General of Thailand’s Royal Forest Department. Alue Dohong, FAO Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for Asia and the Pacific, underscored that “healthy forests are the backbone of healthy food systems,” noting their essential role in providing wild foods and sustaining agriculture through ecological services.

The United Nations warned that climate change poses a threat to the world’s northern forests, putting the planet’s most powerful natural defence at serious risk. The UNECE regional agency urged the forthcoming COP30 climate summit to put forest resilience at the centre of efforts to combat global warming. “The forests of the northern hemisphere are crucial,” said Paola Deda, UNECE’s forests division director. “…the attention to forests in COPs has been lost. The technicalities have taken over,” she said. …Some 54 percent of the world’s forests are in: Brazil, China, Canada, Russia and the United States, with the latter three in the UNECE region… Although the world’s forest area has shrunk by 203 million hectares since 1990, in the UNECE region it has grown by around 60 million hectares — an area roughly as big as France. However, these gains “are now being jeopardised by record wildfires, pests, and an escalating climate-driven crisis”, UNECE warned.

Related coverage:

• The Associated Press, by Isabel Debre And Mauricio Savarese: UN climate summit kicks off in Brazil’s Amazon with hopes for action despite US absence
• Energetic City, by Ed Hitchins: Treaty 8 Nation to head to Brazil as part of COP30 delegation
• World Economic Forum, by Gill Einhorn: Ahead of COP30, a new era of forest restoration and resilience is taking root

BOGOTA, Colombia — Interpol and partners launched a global law enforcement effort Wednesday aimed at dismantling criminal networks behind illegal logging, timber trafficking and gold mining, which drive large-scale deforestation and generate billions in illicit profits each year. The effort announced ahead of the UN COP30 climate summit in Brazil will focus mainly on tropical forests in Brazil, Ecuador, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and Peru. “Criminals are making billions by looting the planet’s forests,” Interpol Secretary General Valdecy Urquiza said. “The only way to stop them is through determined law enforcement action and strong international cooperation.” …The announcement follows a major crackdown in the Amazon Basin last week, when Brazilian police, supported by Interpol, destroyed more than 270 illegal mining dredges operating on the Madeira River. Authorities said the raids dealt a significant blow to criminal groups linked to gold-smuggling networks that span Brazil, Bolivia and Peru.

Koala advocates and logging supporters have seized on the release of data showing koala population estimates tripled in the last three years. The CSIRO developed the National Koala Monitoring Program in collaboration with 50 partners, including states and universities. In 2023, when the first estimate was released, between 287,830 and 628,010 koalas were believed to live in Australia. Now CSIRO scientists estimate the population could number from 729,000 to 918,000. …Among those highlighting the data is the MP for the New South Wales Mid North Coast seat of Oxley, Michael Kemp, who says the public has been “misled for decades over koala numbers”. …But Australian Koala Foundation chair Deborah Tabart said the CSIRO figures were “categorically wrong” and that field studies indicated that the national koala population was much smaller. …University of Sydney biologist Mathew Crowther said the “big jump in numbers” could be attributed to “more surveys and better techniques”.

Wildfire experts from around the globe convened at Istanbul Forest Innovation Week (IFIW) to evaluate Türkiye’s approach to forest fire management, unanimously acknowledging the country’s advanced capacity in both fire detection and intervention. Experts emphasized the integration of cutting-edge technologies, such as unmanned aerial vehicles (drones), as a critical factor in Türkiye’s rising prominence in global wildfire resilience. Tiago Oliveira, chairperson of the Portuguese Agency for Integrated Rural Fire Management, highlighted the multifaceted challenges climate change poses to forests worldwide. He underscored that warming trends are prolonging fire seasons and increasing the number of days with severe fire conditions. Oliveira also stressed the indispensable role of local communities living near forests. … Warning about extreme fire scenarios, Oliveira noted, “When difficult conditions triggered by climate change occur, very intense fires begin, making firefighting extremely challenging because water can become ineffective.”

Australian governments have perfected the art of watching things die, then approving more things to keep the dead things company. For example, many people assume that Australia’s federal nature law does something to protect the environment. But no. This law is known as the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, and in practical terms, it’s mostly good at extincting things. The EPBC Act, at present, performs two key functions: it irritates business and destroys nature. …The results have been spectacular. Australia now has one of the highest rates of deforestation in the developed world and more than 2000 species teeter on the edge of extinction, all under the watchful eye of a law specifically designed to prevent exactly that. …In 2021, the Coalition government’s own independent review concluded that the act is not only ineffective, but that it actively harms nature.

A majority of EU ambassadors is advocating that the European Commission delay the enforcement of new anti-deforestation laws for everyone, not just small companies, three diplomatic sources told Euractiv on Wednesday. The news comes amid a new push in Brussels to delay and simplify the implementation of the EU’s new deforestation rules, approved in 2023. …Last week, the Commission unveiled plans to simplify reporting requirements by reducing the amount of data companies must upload to the IT system. The changes include a de facto exemption for small farmers and foresters who need only provide the postal code of their land. …However, as part of the same proposal, the Commission proposed only to delay enforcement for small companies and suspend non-compliance penalties for all operators for six months. Member states remain unconvinced. Most EU ambassadors said the rules should not take effect on 30 December 2025, and that any delay should cover all affected operators.

A new study has shown areas of state forest in Northern New South Wales, currently zoned as hardwood eucalypt plantation and slated for logging in 2025–2026, are in fact vital koala habitat. Tuckers Nob State Forest, southwest of Coffs Harbor, was analyzed in the collaborative research project between Griffith University, CQUniversity, conservation organizations and citizen scientists. Published in the journal Wild, the study combined drone technology, historical mapping, and ground surveys to track koala populations in the forest. The team’s findings challenged current assumptions that timber plantations lacked conservation value. “Instead, we’ve shown many plantation areas still contained original, high-quality eucalypt forest that supported our endangered koala populations,” said co-author Dr. Timothy Cadman, from Griffith University. …These findings suggested excluding areas such as the Tuckers Nob study site from the proposed Great Koala National Park footprint for the sake of logging was both “short-sighted and inconsistent with current conservation strategies.”

Chopping down rainforests is daft. The social costs of clearing a typical patch of Brazilian Amazon are perhaps 30 times the benefits of rearing cows on it, by one estimate from 2023. The problem is, those costs, which include aggravating climate change, are spread across the entire world’s population, whereas the profits from cutting down the trees go to the men commanding the chainsaws. Somehow, the world has to find a way to make conservation pay. …Yet there is hope. Though Brazil lost more rainforest than any other country last year, due to to wildfires, it also shows how better policy can make a difference. …The pace of deforestation fell by 80% during Lula’s first terms (2003-11), and fell again when he returned in 2023, before the wildfires set things back. …Since preserving rainforests is a global public good, the world should help pay for it. [to access the full story an Economist subscription is required]

Mikhail Tarasov

Mikhail Tarasov, IKEA Head of Forestry, on why unity, transparency & stronger FSC leadership is needed. …Responsible forest management lies at the heart of the fight against climate change and biodiversity loss. …To safeguard this capacity, responsible governance, transparent certification and collaboration across industries are more critical than ever. From from 26 to 31 October, FSC comes together for its General Assembly “to discuss a responsible future for the world’s forests and the people and animals who inhabit them”. …The system faces criticism from both ends of the spectrum. Some industry voices regard FSC’s standards as overly demanding; others argue they could be stricter. …“We see this tension as a sign of FSC’s strength — proof that it continues to navigate the complex realities of responsible forest management. “By engaging in tough conversations and seeking common ground, FSC is forging a path few others dare to take.”

A coalition of 19 European associations say the recent amendments proposed by the European Commission to the EU Deforestation Regulation prolong a situation of costly uncertainty and unrealistic implementation timelines. The new proposal, and the very challenging timeline to have it approved, risks undermining both the credibility and the practical enforcement of the Regulation, while placing European operators in an untenable position of legal and operational uncertainty. …The signatories state that the newly revised regulation, still pending final approval, leaves little time for companies to adapt. …The group highlights that different enforcement dates across company sizes are unfeasible, since small firms must align immediately to avoid disrupting business relations. The statement urges the Commission to implement a “stop-the-clock” mechanism to allow more time for assessing the regulation’s practical impact and simplifying its obligations, while reaffirming support for the EUDR’s environmental objective of halting deforestation.

• In related coverage: US Forest Sector Calls for a Considered Approach to EUDR Simplification

…The World Resources Institute calculates that forests are burning at twice the rate they were two decades ago. In Canada … the frequency and severity of forest fires have quadrupled over the last half century. …the global wildfire defence market is projecting annual growth rates that range from 8.4% to 12.6%, much of it driven by public funding. For example, the United States’ budget for wildland fire management was $1.9 billion in 2025, a 10% increase from the previous year. …On October 22, a consortium of national organizations in Canada published an open letter to the federal government asking for a five-year investment of $4.1 billion in wildfire defence. …Coupled with U.S. auto tariffs, the wildfires prompted South Korea’s government to quickly assemble a US$8.6-billion supplementary budget, of which nearly a billion was earmarked for wildfire recovery. …The bushfire crisis of 2019/2020 in Australia caused AUD$2.4 billion of insured loss. …in 2025, Brazil allocated the equivalent of USD$95 million for firefighting efforts.

As part of the official Textile Exchange Conference 2025 programme in Lisbon, over 20 sustainability professionals from leading global fashion brands stepped out of the city and into the forests of Talhadas, in Sever do Vouga, to experience first-hand how sustainably managed forests support responsible sourcing for the fashion and textile sectors. …The field visit also highlighted how collaboration between the forestry and fashion sectors can drive meaningful change. The project in Talhadas was made possible through industry support from the Inditex Group, whose investment is contributing to reforestation and biodiversity restoration in the region. This partnership demonstrates how brand commitments to sustainability and ESG goals can translate into real, on-the-ground impact. …For many attendees, the visit underscored a vital message: that sustainability in fashion begins with the forest.