Welcome to Wildlife Works monthly newsletter; Reasons for Wild Hope. In this edition we cover an exciting new study in animal communication, essential voluntary carbon market updates, and our team's presence at various biodiversity and climate conferences.
Learning to Speak Elephant
In a ground-breaking new study, researchers demonstrated that elephants have names for each other like people do, thanks to advancements in AI-powered sound recognition.
This research and the broader “Elephant Listening Project” have critical implications for conservation: if we can learn to communicate with endangered species, we could one day direct them away from areas of high threat like busy roads or farmer’s crops. Furthermore, as we continue to listen more closely to nature, we’re able to better value and recognize the intelligence of non-human species.
To stop the rapid loss of biodiversity, it's critical that humanity wake up to the incredible intelligence of animals. Humans like to think that we’re much smarter than other animals, but we are the only species that is knowingly destroying the very planet we rely on. As the behavioral researcher Justin Gregg explains, “Like all animals, our biology compels us to deal with the here and now, but unlike other animals, our decisions can generate technologies that will have harmful impacts on the world to come.”
From heatwaves to floods to persistent global deforestation, it’s clear that our species’ use of fossil fuels and exploitation of natural resources is rapidly destabilizing the planet. The UN Secretary General António Guterres recently put it plainly, “Like the meteor that wiped out the dinosaurs, humanity is having an outsized impact on our planet. In the case of the climate crisis, we are not dinosaurs. We are the meteor. We are not only in danger. We are the danger.”
Our species’ intelligence, and the invention of fossil-fuel powered machinery and products that rely on mass deforestation, got us into the mess of the climate crisis. But it can also be our species’ intelligence that gets us out. Those in polluting, industrialized countries from the Global North must listen to the traditional wisdom of forest communities and the solutions that Global South countries want.
Eve Bazaiba, the Minister for Environment of the Democratic Republic of the Congo recently implored the Global North, “We do not ask you to donate to the Democratic Republic of Congo, but to gradually transition away from the development aid to a win-win partnership, by drawing your wallet to honor private commitments, not in the humanitarian framework, but in the climate finance framework…”
High-integrity REDD+ projects direct climate funds to Global South governments and local forest communities so that they can reach their own development goals, on their own terms. Below, catch up on key Voluntary Carbon Market Updates from the Past Month.
Voluntary Carbon Market Insights
We applaud the Biden Administration for clearly stating that forest conservation projects must continue, and that the voluntary carbon market must overcome current challenges so that there can be fair and consistent financial support for a world with thriving forests (read more on our response to the Biden Administration’s “New Principles for High-Integrity Voluntary Carbon Markets" ).
With confidence from the Biden Administrations’ recent endorsement of the voluntary carbon market, some of the biggest banks have been mobilizing to build out carbon trading and finance desks. Forecasters at BloombergNEF predict a market rising as high as $1 trillion within three decades. Regulatory frameworks have made exciting, actionable progress in the last month, with Brazilian Cosmetics Natura becoming the 'first emerging market business' to make a claim under the VCMI, and the IC-VCM issuing its first CCP labels, which apply to an estimated 27 million issued carbon credits.
On the demand side, a new coalition called Mission 2025 has been formed to urge governments to set more ambitious climate targets. It’s clear that companies and countries are not reducing their emissions fast enough and that forest carbon projects will continue to play a key role in bridging a growing emissions gap. The demand for this market solution is only growing, as West African nations call for firms to be able to offset carbon, and prominent conservation NGOs such as the Nature Conservancy and Conservation International implore the Science Based Targets Initiative to back the use of carbon credits for scope 3 emissions.
Wildlife Works at Global Events
Mike Korchinsky, Founder and President of Wildlife Works, spoke at London Climate Action Week.
Geoff Mwangi, Senior Research Scientist at the Kasigau Corridor REDD+ Project, spoke at the World Biodiversity Forum in Davos.
Get to Know Wildlife Works
Our global conservation work would not be possible without the dedication, expertise, and passion of our team members. Each month, get to know our team members and what they do through these employee profiles.
