This week’s environment and conservation news stories rolled into one.
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Climate finance to take centre stage at upcoming climate COP
Statements on the climate finance goals, by countries and blocs, underline conflicting positions on finance among negotiators.
Finance issue pushing countries into ‘two opposing camps’ at biodiversity COP
The protection and restoration of nature is facing a resource gap of at least $700 billion per year.
Dissonance over DSI dominates biodiversity COP
Biodiversity-rich developing countries are raising concerns over governance of Digital Sequence Information of genetic resources.
Local lifeline, nature’s timeline, Varkala cliffs threatened by climate and human activities
With its honeycake-coloured layers of off-white, yellow, ochre, red and brown, the cliffs of Varkala in northern Thiruvananthapuram attract tourists from across the world starting November.
This year, local conservationists are on a mission to save these ancient rock formations exposed to recent torrential rains, high waves, coastal erosion, and damage from infrastructure development measures.
Genomes map elephant populations, history
A recent study identifies five distinct genetic populations of elephants in the country, with a divergence history dating back as far as 70,000 years.
Rooted in tradition, nature-based architecture bridges generations
To ensure safe connectivity in the dramatic Eastern Himalayan landscape, the ancestors of the Khasi and Jaintia Hills learned to guide the aerial roots of the Ficus elastica (Indian rubber fig tree) to build functional architecture.
Meghalaya’s living root bridges have facilitated access for the local residents, to their farmlands and markets, as well as enabled foraging in the forests, ultimately shaping their way of life. Over time, the living root bridges have become a cornerstone of eco-tourism.
Emissions from India’s macroplastic pollution are the highest, finds study
The study identified emission hotspots across 50,702 municipalities worldwide from five land-based plastic waste emission sources.