Current trends and future directions for integrating social values into mangrove restoration

Despite the recent rise in mangrove restoration projects, the extent to which many projects include social dimensions remains contested, with limited research informing insights from on-ground projects. To address this gap, we conducted an online survey of different stakeholders involved in mangrove restoration projects worldwide to understand the types of social values (e.g. shared preferences and local priorities) considered in mangrove projects and the processes used by practitioners to include various social values in such projects (e.g. participatory planning).

Creating a National Coral-Focused Climate Change Adaptation Plan for Fiji to Prevent Coral Species Extinction in the Face of Rapid Climate Change: Applying the UNESCO-Endorsed “Reefs of Hope” Ocean Decade Action

In the face of recent setbacks to coral reef conservation and restoration due to intensifying marine heat waves, new coral-focused strategies have been developed to accelerate natural processes of coral reef adaptation and recovery. In 2024, these “Reefs of Hope” strategies were endorsed by UNESCO as an Ocean Decade. This paper shares the progress made and methods used and translates the new paradigm into a proposed national coral-focused adaptation plan using Fiji as an example.

International trade regulations take a limited bite out of the shark fin trade

International trade is a major driver of shark overexploitation. In 2013, five threatened shark species were listed on Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species to regulate global trade and promote recovery. Once listed, any uncertified, unreported export of these species became illegal. Minimal trade was reported from 2015 to 2021, yet fins from four of these species were common in the world’s largest shark fin hub (Hong Kong) throughout this period, indicating substantial and sustained illegal trade.

The circular seabird economy is critical for oceans, islands and people

Nearly a third of seabird species are at risk of extinction, rendering them among the most threatened bird taxa globally. The decline in seabird populations has major ramifications for their associated ecosystems. An expansive literature covers seabird impacts on their breeding islands, and growing research expands understanding of the circular seabird economy — cross-ecosystem connections of seabirds from oceans to islands, and back to nearshore marine ecosystems, mainly driven by nutrient transfer.

Guidelines for Monitoring Biodiversity in Social-Ecological Landscapes

Despite playing an essential role in safeguarding food security, livelihoods, and human well-being, biodiversity is in precipitous decline globally with devastating social, environmental, and economic impacts (Pörtner et al. 2023). Thus, incorporating biodiversity into integrated landscape management strategies is crucial for reconciling conservation and livelihoods in multifunctional landscapes.

AI for Nature: How AI Can Democratize and Scale Action on Nature

AI for Nature examines the transformative role of artificial intelligence in understanding and protecting the natural world. The paper outlines how AI can be applied to environmental monitoring, biodiversity mapping, and land-use planning, while also identifying the social, ethical, and governance challenges that accompany these technologies. It calls for collaboration across science, technology, and policy to ensure AI benefits both nature and people.

Beyond deforestation: redesigning how we protect and value tropical forests (analysis)

Heading into COP30, where tropical forests are set to be a central theme, it seemed worth looking today’s trajectories a little further forward and imagine where they might lead. Part 1 looked at possible fates of tropical forests. The first act of the forest crisis was destruction. The second, if there is to be one, must be design—deliberate, structural, and sustained. The world already knows what is burning; what it hasn’t decided is whether it truly wants to stop it.

Reef restoration shouldn’t just be about growing corals - but also bringing reefs to life, new study suggests

Over the past twenty years, coral reef restoration has seen unprecedented growth worldwide. From Indonesia to the Caribbean, thousands of projects have been launched with the goal of “saving” coral reefs - often by planting coral fragments or building artificial reef structures.