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] An international agreement commits nations to conserve and effectively manage at least 30% of land, inland waters, coastal areas and oceans by 2030. Religion Media Centre
• [New] In 2026 in Yerevan, Armenia, countries will review progress toward the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, adopted at COP 15 as a roadmap to reverse biodiversity loss and help people live in better harmony with nature. UN News
• [New] The world population is expected to grow by nearly 2 billion people over the next three decades, which is placing immense pressure on existing arable land. Market Data Forecast
• [New] A transformed future food system could result in the largest absolute reduction (-274 Mha) in agricultural land in more than 2,000 years, whereas current trends suggest a net increase by 2050 (6%, six models from 1% to 7%). Nature
• [New] Although grazing land may have already peaked in the last 20 years, the size of overall agricultural land reduction by 2050 suggested in EL2 is probably without precedent. Nature
• [New] Agriculture-related net CO2 emissions from land use change in the EL2 scenario fell by 85% versus 2020 levels (four models, -117% to -66%) and are 76% lower relative to BAU by 2050 (four models, -113% to -67%). Nature
• [New] The Thai IoT Association will contribute insights into securing the rapidly expanding Internet of Things ecosystem, a critical topic as smart devices proliferate in business and daily life. ETCIOSEA
• [New] Queensland is a land of opportunity. The Premier of Queensland
• [New] The strong dependence on the Nvidia ecosystem poses risks for the nascent industry in China. Merics
• [New] The target species threaten primarily tree species not native to Australia but important to commercial forestry or urban forests: Asian longhorned beetle, burnt pine longicorn, pine pitch canker, pine wilt disease, red turpentine beetle, Asian spongy moth, red needle cast, and sudden oak death. Center for Invasive Species Prevention
• [New] Dedicated volunteers and under-funded conservationists have been slowing the army of increasing threats, but experts fear that without urgent action and political courage, the biodiversity Australia says it loves is headed for a bloodbath. BBC News
• Saudi forces have been seen withdrawing from the east of Yemen in what could be preparation for a land offensive. Charisma Magazine Online
• Extreme heatwaves are becoming hotter, longer and more severe as climate change intensifies, putting lives, wildlife and ecosystems at severe risk. Friends of the Earth
• Across France and Spain, wildfires have raged amid record-breaking temperatures, torching land, businesses and homes, in an emergency that will carry a heavy economic cost beside the direct human toll. The Guardian
• The eurozone lender of last resort was stepping up its monitoring of the financial risks linked to the destruction of ecosystem services, which are nature-related processes or assets that support human activity. The Guardian
• Developing countries urgently need funding to meet the Sustainable Development Goals, address climate change, and protect biodiversity, with total annual requirements approaching USD 6 trillion by 2030. International Institute for Sustainable Development
• NSAS plans to replace its national satellites by 2030, potentially aiming for advanced monitoring capabilities like land sinking. ST
• The new Global Biodiversity Framework has set a specific target to halve nitrogen waste by 2030 through more efficient nutrient cycling and use. Beat Pollution
• For protein, forecasts are for a 50% increase in meat production on twice as less arable land by 2050 in order to supply global nutritional demand. PubMed Central (PMC)
• European security will be strengthened by a new UK-Estonia defence roadmap that will deepen military cooperation, strengthen NATO's eastern flank and modernise the UK's Forward Land Forces presence in Estonia for the challenges of modern warfare. GOV.UK
• The closure of the strait of Hormuz has created conditions for an extreme global biodiversity threat, with scientists warning that thousands of stranded ships could spread invasive marine species across the world's oceans once they begin sailing again. The Guardian
• The prolonged closure of the Strait of Hormuz may pose significant biosecurity hazards as well as economic impacts, with potentially devastating consequences for global ecosystems and human health. Live Science
• Nearly 1,000 fires have sprung into life in the boreal forests of Canada, causing the evacuation of towns and toxic smoke to waft into major Canadian and US cities, prompting threats of retribution from Donald Trump, who bizarrely accused Canada of poisoning his country's air. The Guardian

Last updated: 10 August 2026