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A prosperous blue economy in coastal areas requires operational models that clearly link ecological outcomes to economic returns. These models can support investment, planning, and the growth of non-extractive economies that benefit both coastal communities and the environment. Here, we focus on an Essential Ocean Variable—fish biomass—because it is a globally standardized and monitored variable with proven links to recovery and management. We connect this variable to a key economic output: scuba diving ecotourism, which is a critical component of many coastal economies.

Coral reefs face catastrophic collapse. Thermal tipping points for widespread, irreversible dieback have already been passed at 1.2–1.4°C of global warming. The ocean is already 30% more acidic since the Industrial Revolution began, weakening coral reefs growth – akin to the osteoporosis of the sea.

Unless we reduce global emissions at extraordinary speed and scale mass restoration with thermal resistant coral resilient to increasingly acidic waters – the future is dire: at 1.5°C, we lose 70-90% of reefs; at 2°C: 99% destruction. 

Target 3 of the Convention on Biological Diversity’s (CBD) Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework calls for the protection of 30% of terrestrial areas, inland waters, and marine and coastal areas through area-based conservation (protected areas and other effective conservation measures) by 2030. As we progress toward this target, there is a need to critically evaluate the potential impacts of marine area-based measures on small-scale fishing communities, whose well-being is intrinsically entwined with marine ecosystems.

The Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) outlines targets for protecting and restoring biodiversity by 2030, with the vision of “living in harmony with nature” by 2050. Although the 20-year vision clearly is aspirational, we emphasize that many forest attributes crucial for biodiversity—such as the abundance of large trees and the availability of dead wood—recover over much longer timescales.

Last week, firecrackers went off around the world in celebration of the Lunar New Year. According to the Chinese zodiac, 2026 welcomes the year of the Fire Horse – a symbol of vitality, energy and momentum. Experts recommend slowing down and managing the fast-paced changes of the Fire Horse by staying grounded.

In that spirit, let us pause and reflect on some of the recent progress on biodiversity restoration. From species coming back from the brink of extinction to a decrease in wildlife crimes, here are some of the best conservation stories from 2025. 

Coral reefs are marine biodiversity hotspots that provide a wide range of ecosystem services1. They are reservoirs of bioactive metabolites, many produced by microorganisms associated with reef invertebrate hosts2.

Mangrove forests, located along tropical and subtropical coastlines, are increasingly recognized for their role in buffering climate disasters, storing carbon, supporting wildlife and livelihoods. Yet even as interest in mangrove conservation and restoration has surged in recent years, many projects fail — seedlings die, sites degrade further or communities disengage.

The world has four years left to achieve the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework Target 3, which calls for the conservation of at least 30% of planet Earth by 2030 (the 30×30 target). This global effort requires countries to acknowledge and support a wide range of governance systems that deliver sustained biodiversity outcomes within and beyond protected areas.

Tropical forests enhance regional rainfall but a robust analysis of this benefit is lacking. Consequently, the rainfall generating services of tropical forests are rarely accounted for in policymaking. We synthesised observational and model-based values of the reduction in rainfall due to tropical deforestation to quantify rainfall generation. Across these studies, we estimate that each meter squared of forest contributes 240 ± 60 L each year to regional rainfall. The Amazon forest has an even stronger rainfall benefit, with each meter squared of forest contributing 300 ± 110 L each year.

For decades, a dominant argument for protecting forests has focused on carbon. Trees absorb carbon dioxide, store it in wood and soils, and slow the accumulation of greenhouse gases. A new scientific review suggests this emphasis overlooks other ways forests shape climate and human well-being. Forests, it argues, are not only a mitigation tool for the future climate. They also help people adapt to climate change today, shaping temperature, water and human well-being in ways that are felt locally.