Biodiversity

Islands are Solutions: the Case for Island-Ocean Coalitions

By Penny Becker, Stuart Sandin and Wes Sechrest
As the world confronts escalating climate impacts, biodiversity loss, and ocean degradation, islands stand as critical test cases—not just as sites of vulnerability, but as living laboratories of resilience, restoration, and innovation. Too often, they are framed as victims of global circumstances, awaiting salvation from external forces.

Economic Growth is the Wrong Metric for Our Time

By Kirsten Stade and Alan Ware
As the United States lurches toward isolationism and authoritarianism, its political problems are now bleeding into pocketbook anxieties that Trump's policies will torpedo economic growth, both domestically and globally.

Human Life Hinges on the Preservation of Biological Diversity

By Oritro Karim
Since 2000, the United Nations (UN) recognizes May 22 as the International Day for Biological Diversity, in hopes of promoting international cooperation and conversation surrounding biodiversity issues. Through the 2025 theme; Harmony With Nature and Sustainable Development, the UN seeks to increase public awareness around biodiversity loss and promote progress in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

In Harmony with Nature: A Dryland Perspective on Development and Biodiversity

By Himanshu Pathak
Nowhere is this more apparent than in the world’s drylands. Covering 41% of the Earth’s land surface, these regions are home to over two billion people and support 50% of the world’s livestock and 44% of its cultivated systems (UNCCD). Far from being marginal, drylands are central to global food security, biodiversity, and climate resilience.

How Computational Biology Is Zoning in on the Future of Agriculture

By Megan Matthews
When pioneering agronomist and father of the “Green Revolution” Norman Borlaug set out to breed a disease-resistant, high-yielding variety of wheat, he spent years laboriously planting and pollinating different specimens by hand. He manually catalogued every outcome until he landed on the variety that would transform farming and avert famine. The result was even greater than expected: it is estimated that he saved more than a billion people worldwide from starvation.

Global Push to Protect Oceans Gains Momentum Ahead of UN Conference in Nice

By Kizito Makoye
As delegates prepare for the third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC) in Nice, France, momentum is building around ocean governance, finance for marine conservation, and an urgent shift toward a regenerative blue economy. Ocean advocates say the world is at a critical juncture—and the next few weeks could shape the future of marine protection for decades.

UN Ocean Conference Must Inspire Global Ambition

By Peter Thomson
The United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC) takes place every three years and in just a few weeks, the international community will gather in Nice, France, at a time when the International Science Council has called for the world to address the new reality of a disrupted Earth system.

Seafood Without Transparency is a Recipe for Disaster

By Ted Danson
Seafood is a staple in my house – fish tacos, paella, sushi. But no matter how good it tastes, I can’t help but wonder: was my fish caught responsibly? Or did something go horribly wrong before it ever reached my plate?

Transitioning to a Circular Economy: The Future We Cannot Afford to Delay

By Marcos Neto
From environmental degradation to biodiversity loss and mounting waste, we are facing the dire consequences of a reckless economic model that extracts, consumes, and discards. But there is an urgent alternative—one that is not just possible, but essential.

In Zimbabwe, Farmers Are Leading Scientific Research on Conservation Agriculture

By Farai Shawn Matiashe
Migren Matanga grew up shying away from small and traditional grains in Rushinga, in northern Zimbabwe. The 58-year-old mother of four from Toruzumba village relied on maize and cotton, one of the major cash crops in the area at the time.

Indispensable—Native Hawaiian Elder Says of Indigenous Ocean Management Systems

By Joyce Chimbi
Indigenous people play a vital role in ocean protection due to their deep-rooted connection to the marine environment and their traditional knowledge of sustainable resource management. They often possess centuries-old practices and stewardship ethics that prioritize ecological balance and community well-being.

Sights Set on Highest Ambition as World Rows Through Toughest Ocean Crisis

By Joyce Chimbi
Participants from over 100 countries will leave the 10th Our Ocean Conference in Busan, the Republic of Korea, with stark reminders that with sea levels rising dangerously, coastal regions and low-lying areas globally, particularly densely populated areas, are threatened.

Mexico Bans GM Corn Cultivation in Constitutional Reform: Action Follows Trade Ruling That Ignored Evidence of Genetic Contamination

By Timothy A. Wise
On March 17, Mexican President Claudia Scheinbaum signed into law a constitutional reform banning the cultivation of genetically modified (GM) corn. The action followed a December ruling by a trade tribunal, under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada (USMCA) trade agreement, in favor of a U.S. complaint that Mexico's 2023 presidential decree, with broader restrictions on the consumption of GM corn, constituted an unfair trade practice by prohibiting the use of GM corn in tortillas.

Korea’s Troubled Waters: Traditional Women Divers Protecting an Ocean in Crisis

By Joyce Chimbi
Ahead of the 10th Our Ocean Conference, with the theme "Our Ocean, Our Action," comes a global call to protect the world's oceans.

Chel Snakehead: A Fish That Time Forgot, Rediscovered

By Diwash Gahatraj
The Chel Snakehead fish, thought to be extinct, has made a dramatic comeback to the eastern Himalayan ecosystem after more than 85 years of absence near its source river in India.

Four Rare Snow Leopards Spotted Together on Pakistan’s Northern Peaks

By Adeel Saeed
In a remarkable conservation achievement, four rare and elusive snow leopards have been spotted together in the rugged peaks of northern Pakistan, highlighting the success of the ongoing global efforts aimed at protecting this critically endangered species and preserving its fragile habitat.

Hooves Vs. Habitats: Striking a Sustainable Balance Between Livestock and the Environment Is Crucial to Africa’s Future

By Daouda Ngom
In my country, Senegal, almost 70 percent of our land is used to graze livestock. Here and across Africa, pastoralists and livestock keepers sustain herding systems which are closely bound up with our landscapes and crucial to nationwide food security, economic growth, and ecological balance.

The ‘Plastic Man’: Turning Trash into Treasure

By Franck Kuwonu
In a quiet corner of Medina Gounass, on the outskirts of Dakar, Senegal, one man has taken it upon himself to breathe new life into a place many had abandoned.

Reflections on CGIAR’s Week-Long Discussions on Food System Science

By Joyce Chimbi
More than 13,600 participants from around the world registered for the inaugural CGIAR Science Week at the UN Complex, Nairobi, April 7-12, 2025. Dr. Ismahane Elouafi, the organization’s Executive Managing Director, said, “This is a testament that people are thirsty for science and for good news.”

How to Put the ‘Sexy’ Back into Agriculture – Thoughts From CGIAR Science Week

By Cecilia Russell and Busani Bafana
This week presented a beacon of hope for young people so that the “girl from the South and the boy, of course” could stay in the developing world, Dr Ismahane Elouafi, Executive Managing Director of CGIAR, said during a press conference on the final day of the CGIAR Science Week.

Insight to Impact: CGIAR Inaugural Flagship Report for Decision Makers Navigating Food System Science

By Joyce Chimbi
"To have impact, it was crucial to understand what impact was wanted," CGIAR's Executive Managing Director Dr. Ismahane Elouafi said at the launch of the organization's flagship report, Insight to Impact: A decision-maker’s guide to navigating food system science.
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