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The battle for the soul of biodiversity

An ideological clash could undermine a crucial assessment of the world’s disappearing plant and animal life.
  1. Ehsan Masood

    1. Ehsan Masood writes about science and policy from London.

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Illustration by David Parkins

It’s a hot and humid afternoon in the suburbs of Washington DC, and Bob Watson is looking worried. The renowned atmospheric chemist sits back on a bench in his yard, hemmed in by piles of paperwork. He speaks with his characteristic rapid-fire delivery as he explains the tensions surrounding the international committee he helms. The panel is supposed to provide scientific advice on one of the world’s most intractable problems — the rapidly accelerating loss of plants and animals. But a rift in the research community risks diminishing the whole effort. In a few days’ time, Watson will fly to England to mark his seventieth birthday, but right now he is not in a celebratory mood.

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Nature 560, 423-425 (2018)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-018-05984-3

See Editorial The global body for biodiversity science and policy must heal rifts

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