We are quickly running out of time on climate change and biodiversity. It is critical that we prioritise the most useful nature-based solutions: protecting the planet’s remaining primary forests and intact forest landscapes.

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Smaller chunks of forest experienced proportionally higher losses, with the 36,282 smallest fragments (under 675 square kilometers, or 260 square miles) losing 11.5% of their tree cover each year, while the 22 largest stretches (greater than 75,000 square kilometers, or 28,957 square miles) lost 2% each year

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The viability and desirability of replacing palm oil, published in Nature Sustainability, finds that despite the strong case to reduce farming of oil palm, in the short term efforts must focus on making the process more sustainable, rather than replacing it.

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There are very important qualities to palm oil which food manufacturers think about, but consumers don’t necessarily know about. It’s extremely versatile and has a high melting point – because it’s not going to turn easily into liquid, it can be used for all sorts of things. It also hasn’t got much taste, so it doesn’t interfere with the flavour of foods.

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Borneo’s forest (Fig 1) is disappearing at a rate of 0.25 Mha per year [6]. It has lost more than 18 Mha of forest since 1973 [1]. Consequently, more than 600 vertebrate and plant species are threatened with extinction risk in the region [7]. The persistent loss of forest and biodiversity has been occurring due to agriculture expansion, industrial-scale logging, oil-palm plantations, illegal hunting, and the expansion of roads and other infrastructure, such as hydroelectric dams [1, 6, 8–10]. The state of Sarawak, in Malaysian Borneo, has lost eighty percent of its primary forest over the last forty years [1].

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According to Mighty Earth’s analysis, in 2011, before Posco International’s subsidiary PT Bio Inti Agrindo began developing its concession in Papua, over half of the area—about 19,000 hectares—was covered by primary forest.

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Nelson et al. analyzed green microalgae from different locations around the United Arab Emirates and found that one microalga, known as Chloroidium, is one of the most dominant algae in this area. This included samples from beaches, mangroves, desert oases, buildings and public fresh water sources. Chloroidium has a unique set of genes and proteins and grew particularly well in freshwater and saltwater. Rather than just harnessing sunlight, the microalgae were able to consume over 40 different varieties of carbon sources to produce energy. The microalgae also accumulated oily molecules with a similar composition to palm oil, which may help this species to survive in desert regions.

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While all forests are vulnerable to illegal activity, the study suggests that illicit forest loss is more likely once a timber concession is no longer being logged. This is partly because active timber concessions require people on the ground, who keep a lookout for encroachment, Gaveau says. In abandoned concessions, such threats often go unnoticed.

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