According to new research from the University of East Anglia, United Kingdom, spending time outdoors, or living in contact with nature, brings significant health benefits. Being able to enjoy green spaces reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, stress and high blood pressure. The research collected data from over 140 studies, involving nearly 260 million people.

Law and National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans is a publication offering options to improve legal preparation for reviewing and implementing NBSAPs and the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020, and for achieving the Aichi Biodiversity Targets.

2017 was the second worst year ever for tropical tree cover loss.

The report analyzes the role played by forests and trees (and the people using them) in helping Countries achieve their objectives and reach a brighter future. Eva Muller, FAO's Forest Director, stated: "Forests are a safety net for the poor rural population" According to the report, the actions needed to avoid potentially harmful consequences for the Planet and its people include stopping deforestation, sustainable forest management, restoring degraded forests, and adding new trees all over the world.

There is a growing interest from consumers for health, sustainability and ethics, pushing the growth of the market for vegetable-derived foods. According to data presented by Innova Market Insights, vegetable-based products increased by 62 per cent globally (CAGR, 2013-2017) particularly vegetable proteins, phytotherapy products, sweeteners, herbs and condiments.

Most of the companies fishing krill in Antarctic waters decided to stop fishing the area in order to safeguard the species that rely on this tiny crustacean. The decision comes ahead of a meeting of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), which could decide to set up a large ocean reserve in October: the Antarctic Ocean Sanctuary.

The new six-monthly FAO report on worldwide fish production states that fish production has risen thanks to fish faming, but still too much fish is wasted, thrown away or badly kept. A third of fish caught will not reach our plates. The United Nations agency expects fish farming to continue to grow, and fish consumption to increase by 20 per cent by 2030.

Local food, no disposable plastic and less waste. This is the policy adopted by thousands of restaurants and hotels in Hong Kong. Over 3 thousand restaurants no longer offer plastic take away plates and cutlery. While many chefs prefer to buy local products or opt for vertical or hanging gardens for their food supplies. The same happens for water distribution, as filtered water is preferred to PET water bottles.

A Kigali university student invented a profitable way to reduce food waste, producing wine from carrots that are too ripe to be sold. This tends to happen especially in the summer, when supply exceeds demand and many tubers are wasted. The young student purchased a low cost machine to produce wine and dried carrot powder.

Our current policies and efforts to increase clean power generation, the present use of fossil fuels in industry, transportation and heating will generate enough CO2 emissions to prevent achieving the climate targets, according to a study by the Joint Research Center.