Some whales, dolphins and porpoises are now so endangered they could vanish within a decade, scientists say.
A confrontation over nanotechnology could be as bitter as the current debate over biotechnology, researchers fear. They say the emerging knowledge has the power to revolutionise society.
Farmers who plant some genetically modified (GM) crops could help endangered species to thrive, UK scientists believe. They say their work is the first to show there can be environmental benefits from GM strains. They argue that crops can be managed to produce ample weeds and insects for wildlife, without sacrificing yields.
A hugely ambitious project to find and name every species on Earth within the next 25 years has been launched by scientists. The internet and the development of DNA sequencing technology make the goal achievable, they say.
Coral reefs in several parts of the world are showing tentative signs of recovery after years of damage, scientists say. But they report the pattern is patchy, with improvements in some areas balanced by continued degradation in others.
The world's gene banks, the Noah's Arks of biodiversity, are themselves at risk, according to scientists. They say the banks' funding is often precarious, and many collections are not sustainable for very much longer.
Many African scientists believe genetically modified (GM) crops offer the only hope of avoiding mass starvation on the continent.
Richard Leakey, a distinguished conservationist, has warned that "unless the present trend is reversed the world could lose about 55% of its species over the next 50 to 100 years."
The destruction of the Amazon rainforest could be irreversible within a decade, according to a US scientist. James Alcock, of Pennsylvania State University, says the forest could virtually disappear within half a century.
A report by two international scientific groups says global wildlife faces the greatest extinction risk since the dinosaurs disappeared. It says conservation strategies are failing, with nearly half the world's major nature reserves being heavily used for agriculture.