Our Scans · (LF.15) Life on Land · Weekly Summary

In September 2015, 193 world leaders agreed to 17 Global Goals for Sustainable Development. If these Goals are completed, it would mean an end to extreme poverty, inequality and climate change by 2030.
Goal 15: Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss,

• [New] Nature underpins food systems, clean air and water, energy, climate and disaster resilience, and Canada's identity-yet it faces mounting threats from climate change, urbanization, and biodiversity loss. Mirage News
• [New] The RRC, faced with an uptick in earthquakes from wastewater injection deep underground, encouraged companies to dispose their wastewater in shallow areas despite knowing it could cause leaks onto ranch land and potentially harm drinking water. Insurance Journal
• [New] One-fifth of land currently used for Arabica coffee could become unsuitable by 2050, as rising temperatures reshape key growing regions. RAVE Coffee
• [New] Up to 20% of Arabica-growing land could become unsuitable by 2050. RAVE Coffee
• [New] With an improved understanding of sediment distribution and carbon storage in the North Sea, we can assess long-term risks to coastal stability, navigational safety in shipping, and the functioning of ecosystems in the German Bight. SciTechDaily
• [New] Around 80 million people are today living on land in coastal areas below sea level - almost twice previous estimates - dramatically increasing the numbers at risk as sea level rise accelerates in the coming decades. Yale E360
• [New] Urban growth in Southeast Asia is rapidly transforming landscapes and placing biodiversity at risk. SpringerLink
• [New] The recovery potential of tropical forest biodiversity in secondary forests is unclear given the large spatial extent and accelerated rate of anthropogenic perturbations in tropical forests around the globe. Nature
• [New] The Lyme Timber Company is looking at how it could leverage the data it has collected from Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) technology - which maps a portion of land with more granularity than field mapping - to carry out nature-based carbon projects. Environmental Finance
• [New] BTG Pactual's Timberland Investment Group illustrates the Latin America opportunity: a reforestation strategy targeting 300,000 hectares of degraded land across Brazil, Uruguay, and Chile, balancing ecological restoration with commercial returns. I4N - Innovate for Nature
• [New] There is an opportunity to harness the power of the cooperative ecosystem across rural America. realclearhealth
• [New] In 2021, the Glasgow Leaders' Declaration on Forests and Land Use set a global target to end forest loss by 2030, including reaching zero gross deforestation. Edie
• [New] For generations, Canada's vast forests and the economic opportunities they provide have sustained and powered Canadian towns, economies and communities from coast to coast to coast. Atlas Engineered Products
• [New] The practical implication of unresolved IP governance is not that enterprises will reject Canva outright, but that they will limit its use to internal workflows, slowing the platform's land-and-expand motion. Futurum
• [New] While the FY 2027 Annual Plan focuses heavily on marsh creation, shoreline protection, and barrier island restoration, long-term ecosystem health depends on sediment-based restoration. Louisiana Wildlife Federation
• Invasive alien species are one of the greatest threats to biodiversity globally, as they negatively impact the ecological stability of invaded habitats and native species, leading to consequent pressures on essential ecosystem functions and services. EU GREEN
• Indonesia's vulnerability is compounded by long-term land use changes, including the conversion of agricultural land into plantations and large-scale infrastructure projects. Reccessary
• The American confectionery giant defines climate-smart agriculture as context-appropriate practices that are applied to best optimize efforts to reduce and remove GHG emissions, regenerate soils, support biodiversity, and adapt to increasing climate hazards. CNS Media
• The global hydrogen economy is not developing as a uniform system, but rather as a collection of regionally specific ecosystems, each with its own constraints and opportunities, all of which are extensively covered by IDTechEx. Innovation News Network
• While biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse are indeed major global threats, we argue the UK must ground its national risk assessments in rigorous evidence rather than deterministic models or speculative migration projections. EurekAlert!
• Scientists have warned that a new UK Government report on global biodiversity loss and national security risks distorting evidence and driving ineffective policy by framing ecological degradation and its impacts on migration as a security threat. EurekAlert!
• Vector-borne disease risk is shifting in response to land use changes, pet travel, wildlife movement, and climate-related warming and extreme weather. dvm360
• Land leasing and rural revitalization for renewable projects are expected to provide an untapped opportunity in the U.S. Persistence Market Research

Last updated: 27 April 2026