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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A global, independent panel will build scientific capacity and raise awareness of biodiversity change, says an editorial in Nature.

Livestock genebanks are needed to ensure the world's future food supply, says livestock expert Carlos Seré.

International co-operation and better early warning systems are key to tackling alien invasive species, says Achim Steiner.

New biofuels offer a sustainable source of energy but we must consider the ethical and social implications, say Joyce Tait and Banji Oyelaran-Oyeyinka.

To meet new biodiversity targets, African countries must plug science gaps and align goals with climate deals, says Linda Nordling.

Local groups must help set biodiversity agendas if donors and scientists are to impact conservation, say Robert J. Smith and colleagues.

Establishing an effective science–policy interface is key to combating biodiversity loss, say Harold Mooney and Georgina Mace.

We must take responsibility for the costs of modifying tropical ecosystems for human consumption, says botanist Scott A. Mori.

Gene banks have a key role to play in the development of climate-proof crops, says agricultural scientist M. S. Swaminathan.