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Agriculture & Environment: Biodiversity

Opinions

Here is a list of the latest articles

Africa Analysis: Meat DNA testing can help save species

African governments need to boost local efforts to protect endangered species by supporting DNA testing, argues Linda Nordling.

8 March 2013 | EN | FR

Asia–Pacific Analysis: Protecting and restoring coral reefs

Better navigation and surveillance can help to prevent ships from damaging coral reefs and the need for expensive restoration, says Crispin Maslog.

27 February 2013 | EN

Bosque de Jamaica

What does a new bill on genetic protection mean for Jamaica?

The new bill is unlikely to achieve its goals without a shift in views about how knowledge is gained and used, says policymaker Arnoldo Ventura.

25 February 2013 | EN | ES

Gaps in India’s implementation of biodiversity law

Ten years after introducing a Biodiversity Act, India is yet to put it to serious use, say Shalini Bhutani and Kanchi Kohli.

Source: Economic and Political Weekly

7 October 2012 | EN

Agroforestry in Indonesia

Let's add climate knowledge to agroforestry plans

We need to know more about how smallholder agroforestry can help farmers adapt to climate change, write James Roshetko and Rodel Lasco.

1 October 2012 | EN | ES

Young boys fishing off the coast of Papua New Guinea

Deep sea mining — a dangerous experiment

Pacific governments should not approve deep-sea mining until more is known about its likely impact, says conservation biologist Mellie Samson Jr.

12 July 2012 | EN

Farmer in Potato Park, Peru

Making the Nagoya Protocol work at the community level

Two safeguards for communities' rights to resources can help implement the Nagoya Protocol, argues biodiversity specialist Krystyna Swiderska.

3 July 2012 | EN | ES

Solar panel in Lesotho

Sustainability hinges on local policies, not global goals

Sustainable development targets will work only if they engage with the realities of national politics, says policy expert Matthew Lockwood.

5 June 2012 | EN | ES | FR

Asia–Pacific Analysis: Launching a second Green Revolution

Feeding South-East Asia's rapidly growing population requires a second Green Revolution, says Crispin Maslog.

23 February 2012 | EN | 中文

Research for climate-proof beans

A world organisation for an equitable green economy

The proposed UN World Environment Organisation is badly needed to give poor countries a strong voice in green policy, says Zakri Abdul Hamid.

5 January 2012 | EN

Cassava

How to feed the world without destroying the planet

Combined strategies are needed to meet the world's rising demands for food without further damage to biodiversity, says Jason Clay.

Source: Nature

28 July 2011 | EN | 中文

Devil's claw plant

Focus on plant function, not origins

The distinction between native and non-native species is "counterproductive" — we must focus on function, argue Marc Davis and colleagues.

Source: Nature

14 June 2011 | EN

Maize

Conservation and agriculture must work together

We need a "new agriculture" and "new conservation" to feed the world's population and protect ecosystems, says Achim Steiner.

Source: New Scientist

19 April 2011 | EN

Tree frog

Biodiversity platform must strengthen support for policy

The Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services must ensure it prioritises science in its policies, argue Charles Perrings and colleagues.

Source: Science

8 March 2011 | EN

Join forces to share biological resources equitably

Countries must put aside cynicism and differing opinions to make the Nagoya protocol a success, say Suneetha Subramanian and Govindan Parayil.

4 March 2011 | EN | 中文

Woman selecting local seeds

Conserve biodiversity without state ownership

Developing countries should turn down the UN biodiversity convention proposals to nationalise genetic resources, argue Indian scientists.

Source: Current Science

16 February 2011 | EN | ES

Plant biotech research from Flickr/CIAT by Neil Palmer

Farming in cities could help feed the world

With traditional food production under threat from climate change, we should switch from agriculture to cell culture, says Lucía Atehortúa.

2 December 2010 | EN | ES | 中文

Fisherman with sailfish

Political action is needed to harness value of biodiversity

Protecting biodiversity can cut poverty, but policymakers need to give the poor more control of resources, says Dilys Roe.

20 October 2010 | EN

China's coasts offer more than land reclamation

China must protect its coasts to replenish biodiversity and increase CO2 absorption, say Jiang Gaoming, Dou Guanyi and Chen Bosen.

Source: China Dialogue

15 October 2010 | EN | 中文

Biopiracy regime could strangle pest control efforts

The biological control of pests, which has notched up thousands of successes, is threatened by the biopiracy regime to be agreed next week.

Source: Nature

6 October 2010 | EN | ES