BBC news has reported on recent investigations which link three major meat packing companies JBS, Minerva and Marfrig to illegal deforestation in the Cerrado of Brazil; a critical ecosystem which hosts 5% of the world’s species. The meat packing companies have denied the claims of the investigation, citing outdated data sources. Global Witness has highlighted the need for better and more transparent data in Brazil to facilitate greater accountability around deforestation.

This briefing note from IPES Food explores the evolution of three terms: ‘agroecology’, ‘nature-based solutions’, and ‘regenerative agriculture’. It also examines how the terms have been used at the United Nations Food Systems Summit, COP26 and the 15th conference of parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, as well as by funders and agrifood corporations.

This report from the UN Environment Programme synthesises evidence on the degradation of the world’s ecosystems, sets out the economic, environmental and social benefits of ecosystem restoration, and calls for individuals and organisations to contribute - including by reducing food waste, using farmland more efficiently, and encouraging a shift towards more plant-based diets.

Investments in nature-based solutions such as ecosystem restoration and afforestation need to triple by 2030 to meet the world’s climate, biodiversity and land degradation targets, finds this report from the UN Environment Programme. By 2050, annual spending will need to reach US $536 billion - around four times today’s spending levels.

This open access book explores the ethics of the changing relationships between humans and animals in the Anthropocene. It takes animal agency as its starting point and includes discussion of farmed animals, rewilding and cultured meat.

This report from the Convention on Biological Diversity summarises the most recent information on trends in biodiversity. It finds that none of the 20 Aichi Biodiversity Targets - the deadline for most of which is 2020 - have been fully met, although six of the targets have been partially met. It also describes the areas of the targets where progress has been made.

According to this paper, coconut oil cultivation puts a much greater number of species at risk per million tonnes of oil than other oils, including palm oil, despite narratives about the environmental impacts of oils usually focusing on deforestation caused by palm oil cultivation.

This paper examines the factors that link ecosystem services and the risk of zoonotic disease transmission. It also discusses policy responses to the COVID-19 pandemic.

This report from the European Commission’s Science for Environment Policy describes the importance of pollinators (such as bees, flies and moths) for food production and for nature. It identifies several drivers of pollinator loss and sets out methods of monitoring pollinator populations.