National plans submitted ahead of the Convention on Biological Diversity’s COP16 in Colombia should prioritize action over empty ambition, and must integrate with other nations’ plans to constructively work towards global aims.

This Perspective charts the development of the Monitoring Framework for tracking progress towards the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, including details on the process of indicator selection, and discusses what is still needed for implementation of the Monitoring Framework.

The Red List of Ecosystems is a headline indicator in the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. This Progress illustrates how the Red List of Ecosystems can be used by Parties to the Framework to contribute to its implementation and monitoring.

A global analysis of hydraulic traits in 1,922 woody plant species shows that wind speed has substantial effects on key traits related to plant water transport, independently of other climatic factors.

Analysis of the genomes of 50 species of Lemuriformes shows high levels of genomic diversity, likely due to allele sharing, as well as population declines and inbreeding patterns resulting from ecological factors and human impacts in Madagascar.

Ecological communities may arise through distinct assembly processes, which are difficult to disentangle. Here the authors show that deterministic niche-based, not neutral dispersal, assembly processes explain the vast majority of the structure of a tropical forest liana community.

An estimated AU$583 billion per year cost of in situ recovery of terrestrial and freshwater species in Australia, including through habitat restoration and retention and management of invasive species, is not an expected conservation budget, but exemplifies the severe cost of nature declines.

A phylogenetic comparative analysis of male and female body size across tetrapods globally shows that directional change in size is usually greater in males but reveals different underlying mechanisms among lineages.

Simulating a metapopulation of human evolution without Neanderthal introgression into Homo sapiens still identifies Neanderthal fragments in simulated genomes, and an admixture event that never took place. This indicates that population structure must be accounted for in human evolutionary genomics and that putative ancient hybridization events should be reinterpreted in this light.

The inaugural Indian Wildlife Ecology Conference took place on 14–16 June 2024. We talked to the co-conveners of this conference, Ajith Kumar and Jayashree Ratnam, about how the event fostered connections among Indian wildlife ecologists, and their future plans.

Archaeologist with a wide view of prehistory and a passion for innovative collaboration.

Robust debate and discussion are crucial ingredients in the advancement of science, but should always be conducted with respect and civility.

Armed conflicts inflict a massive toll on people and nature, but hope exists in the recognition that lasting peace can be closely tied to ecosystem restoration

A dinosaur with a disputed name opened Anusuya Chinsamy-Turan’s eyes to the world of palaeobiology.