In February 2021, the (third) Commonwealth Science Conference was co-organised by the Royal Society and the African Academy of Sciences. This theme issue draws on one of the three themed sessions: ‘nurturing resilient ecosystems’, within which we explore maintaining and strengthening biodiversity, sustainable stewardship, and adapting to a changing climate. The papers in this issue were written against the backdrop of 2021 as a critical year to halt and reverse biodiversity loss and to address climate change impacts and adaptation, given the COP15 (biodiversity) and COP26 (climate change). This issue discusses the impact of socio-ecological-environmental changes on the ocean and the ecosystem it supports, to coasts, to the services the ocean and coastal locations provide to humankind, and the importance of nature-based solutions for oceans and people.

An associated theme issue on 'Developing resilient energy systems' was published in Philosophical Transactions A.

Find out more about the theme issues and the conference in our blog post.

This issue is available to buy in print. Visit our information for readers page for purchasing options.