Checking a menace

A virus is being used to destroypests that damage the chickpea crop

Shaken but not stirred

US sticks to its guns on not verifying bioweapons treaty

CBD’s Geneva meetings: Benefit sharing on traditional knowledge & digital sequence information on agenda

Recommendations to be presented at upcoming meeting of Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical & Technological Advice as well as COP16

Biological clocks: How does our body know that time goes by?

The rotations of the Earth, Moon and Sun generate environmental cycles that have favoured the selection of biological clocks  

Pest attacks on rise across India, yet no discussion on spurious pesticides

As allegedly fake pesticides prove ineffective in controlling pests, farmers resort to indiscriminate spraying

Nagoya Protocol: landmark treaty on genetic resources to enter into force in October

Treaty mandates sharing of benefits from utilization of genetic resources and traditional knowledge with local communities

When ducks get to work

Employing ducks in the paddy field heralds an era of prosperity for farmers in Japan, and in time worldwide

'Building and retaining capacity is the toughest challenge'

Balakrishna Pisupati is in the hot seat as chairperson of the National Biodiversity Authority (NBA), where he has to deal with regulatory and …

Scientists warn PM against GM contamination

Ask government to be cautious of Bangladesh's Bt Brinjal cultivation

India has approved ratification of Nagoya Protocol

Environment minister Jayanthi Natarajan calls for partnership between developed and developing countries to meet the challenges of protecting …

Access, yes. Sharing, no

The access and benefit-sharing protocol on biodiversity may do little to deter multinationals from grabbing the planet’s resources

Taking stock of biodiversity

The Convention on Biological Diversity, 20 years on, is still struggling to stem the precipitous decline in biodiversity. After missing the 2010 …

From enormous elephants to tiny shrews: How mammals shape and are shaped by Africa’s landscapes

Africa’s mammals are a global treasure that must be protected

Row over pesticides

Natural pesticides

Complementarity begets productivity

ORGANIC farming technologies involve adaptation to local environments. Continuing the series on organic farming (See Down To Earth, November 30, …

Scientists pave the way for a new therapy for type 2 diabetes

They have found that an enzyme plays a major role in determining the ability of cells to detect and respond to the hormone insulin

Church of England to explore gender-neutral terms for God — women clergy’s suggestions for replacing ‘Our Father’

Official Christian doctrine is that God has no gender; yet “He” is described almost exclusively in masculine terms

Ecologically based rodent management can help control pests in rural India

Full community engagement, reducing access to food and shelter and direct killing is the best way to manage rodent populations

Road to COP15 Montreal: Namibia’s unique scheme ensures implementation of Nagoya Protocol

Namibia allows the creation of community forests so indigenous groups can manage their own natural resources

Road to COP15 Montreal: Mexican indigenous groups yet to benefit under Nagoya Protocol; here is why

The Convention on Biological Diversity leaves many matters to the interpretation of each country’s laws

Quandaries along a journey on wildlife conservation

From the missing connect between policy makers and locals to written accounts still seen as major indicators for measuring work, many factors …

Without a trace

Medicinal plant biodiversity is rapidly vanishing in India and the government has still to come up with a plan of action

Plagued plantations

Farmers in the Peruvian highlands learn that all's not well with their produce, land and health

The loss of our breeds

Buy an Indian breed from Australia