SciDev.Net

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

Access to clean energy — not emissions reductions — is the key to tackling climate change, say Nancy Birdsall and Arvind Subramanian.

Innovative agricultural technologies can produce crops that meet climate change challenges, says ICRISAT head William Dar.

Cuba has managed to stay free of dengue fever through locally-relevant research, say Maria G. Guzmán and Gustavo Kourí.

The global health innovation system must be considered as a whole to boost its effectiveness, say Stephen A. Matlin and Gill M.R. Samuels.

Kenyan MP and remote sensing expert, Wilbur Ottichilo, argues the time is ripe for using satellites to spot developing African droughts.

Africans need to be more aware of earthquakes to cope with disasters — and there's no better place to start than in schools, says Chris Hartnady.

Poor countries need support to participate in genomics research, say Josefina Coloma and Eva Harris in PLoS Medicine.

After 2006's commitment to one per cent GDP spending on science, is Africa keeping up, falling behind or investing, asks Linda Nordling.

Maternal health needs a new, pragmatic, research-led approach targeted specifically for developing countries, says Priya Shetty.

India should offer to make its national action plans part of a global climate deal in Copenhagen negotiations, says Rajendra K. Pachauri.

Three Nature articles display mixed feelings about the success of Pakistan's higher education reforms.

CGIAR reforms take research decisions too far away, says Hartmann, director-general of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA).

Intellectual property must be protected to encourage technical innovations in agriculture, says Javier Fernandez of CropLife Latin America.

Aid agencies, under pressure to prove their worth, should seize the opportunity to make spending more accountable, says Linda Nordling.

A UNITAID patent pool could revolutionise HIV treatment and research in developing countries — if payment can be agreed, says Priya Shetty.

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

Countries need to produce their own vaccines, and they need to invest in public sector capacity to do it, says Indian scientist Y. Madhavi.

Encouraging cooperation and aligning interests is key to dealing with global challenges, say Brian Walker and colleagues.

Pilot projects in India and Nigeria point to possible benefits of a new approach to agricultural innovation, say Andy Hall and Susanna Thorp.