The British Council has published a report from the think-tank DEMOS on culture and soft power - Influence and Attraction. It looks at the role of culture in the relationships between countries, including in diplomacy, examines trends and looks at options for development. Missed opportunity in glossing over scientific culture in the mix, but interesting nevertheless.
State of the Birds 2013 has been published, an assessment covering the USA from government agencies and NGOs
The UK Museums Association undertook a vision consultation - Museums 2020 - in 2012. A major output of this exercise has been released - Museums Change Lives, which presents a vision for the future social impact of museums and their roles as agents of social change.
The second plenary of the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES-2) is to be held in December 2013 in Antalya. Preparation documents are available for consultation, including a workplan.
A very valuable resource on science advice in government in the UK is available from the Cambridge Centre for Science and Policy - report edited by Rob Doubleday and James Wilsdon, previews and seminar media are available on the website
The US Supreme Court has ruled that human genes as they occur naturally may not be patented, although synthetic cDNA (artificial exon-only sequences) may be. NY Times article and the ruling.
The European Environment Agency Annual Report 2012 is now available - a useful overview of strategy, progress and priorities. Themes in the report are..../
The European Environment Agency is operating Eye on Earth, a website enabling the public to explore visualized environmental data - works best in Internet Explorer. A more detailed background explanation and history is available on the EEA pages.
Useful portal for information and resources for South Africa from SANBI: Biodiversity Advisor
The European Environment Agency has produced two reports: first The Impacts of Invasive Alien Species in Europe and the second on methods for assessment Invasive Alien Species Indicators in Europe
