<p>Chilean lawmakers have proposed a bill that would protect 80 percent of the country's glaciers by prohibiting commercial activity on them within Chile's national parks. The proposal comes after government officials and Congress agreed to work together to pass the legislation. Large mining projects, particularly copper mines, would be affected by the law. Chile is the world's largest exporter of copper. Though permits already issued would not be revoked, current operations could be required to take additional mitigation measures.

<p>China's State Forestry Administration has announced a year-long moratorium on the importation of ivory carvings, a move authorities claim will allow them to evaluate the ban's effectiveness on curbing elephant poaching in Africa. Conservation organizations are less enthusiastic, saying the moratorium will do little to decrease demand for ivory within China. The country's legal domestic trade will not be affected, and critics worry the Chinese government will use the year-long ban to argue that moratoriums do not decrease poaching activities.

<p>Colombia has proposed creating the world's largest protected area in an effort to preserve biodiversity and combat climate change. President Juan Manuel Santos plans to propose the project at the UN climate negotiations in Paris at the end of 2015, suggesting the country will seek credit for the forests the area would preserve.