Biodiversity loss is continuing at an unprecedented rate, with species becoming extinct at between 100 and 1,000 times the average pre-human, or 'background', rate. Human activities are the main cause. Although there are hundreds of local, regional and international initiatives to conserve and sustainably use species and ecosystems, many conservation scientists worry that measures such as interventions to conserve individual species or incentives to create protected areas are not supported by strong evidence from research.
Do you think we should genetically modify wildlife? What if we could make seabirds resistant to the flu that has been exterminating them en masse, just by tweaking their DNA a smidgen? Or make fish that can shrug off pollution, or coral that can survive warming waters? Engineer in the sorts of change that could occur naturally, given enough time, if only the wildlife would stop dying already. Thanks to newly emerging methods, such as Crispr, these feats are within reach.
Marine protected areas (MPAs) are key to conservation at sea, yet fishing is allowed in more than 90% of them. Defining the types of fishing that are compatible with conservation goals is urgent, given that the United Nations high seas treaty - a global accord with a mechanism for creating MPAs - comes into force in early 2026. doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-025-03277-0Competing Interests The authors declare no competing interests.
