This paper reports on national coral reef management plans developed in Pacific Island countries by consultation between scientists and policymakers. Reef experts re-visited these projects one year after initial consultation to evaluate their progress. The outcome of this evaluation, and a literature review, are also included in the report.

The project targeted four countries heavily dependent on coral reefs: Fiji, Samoa, Tonga and Tuvalu. For each country, two-day workshops followed the development of a national dossier that included a series of issues considered in developing coral reef plans, such as fisheries and potential impacts of climate change. The results show variable progress between the four countries, and a need to improve collaboration between government departments and ensure that management systems are sustainable. All countries lacked an overarching policy, as well as the human resources needed to implement their national plans and meet the challenge of translating policies into actions that lead to sustainable management of coastal ecosystems.

This special issue of the journal Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability presents a collection of interdisciplinary scientific articles and commentary on biodiversity. It includes new research in key areas such as food security and climate change.

It also reviews major initiatives that will be released or discussed during 2010, the International Year of Biodiversity. These include the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, a new remote sensing project called the Group on Earth Observations — Biodiversity Observation Network, and key issues such as access and benefit sharing.

This paper considers the potential role of 'innovation brokers' — intermediary organisations that help build links in innovation systems and facilitate multi-stakeholder interaction — in developing countries' agriculture. The authors suggest that to encourage organisations to take on this role, policies that encourage institutional learning and experimentation must be put in place. A first step must be mapping the strengths and weaknesses of the existing innovation system.