How trash from ancient humans is protecting barrier islands today
| WASHINGTON, US, 22 April 2025 (NatGeog) - Recent research shows how humans have significantly altered the barrier islands off the coast of Georgia over millennia by discarding millions of oyster shells, unintentionally creating deposits so substantial they now protect portions of the islands from today's rising sea levels. |
Research reveals new information about rare marine life on Tristan
| ABERYSTWYTH, Wales, 22 April 2025 (CN) - Researchers from Aberystwyth University have carried out the first ever environmental DNA (eDNA) assessment of marine vertebrates in Tristan da Cunha, a group of volcanic islands in the South Atlantic Ocean. By matching tiny traces of eDNA found in the water to a global database of marine species, they have been able to reveal rare and vulnerable species - such as the ocean sunfish Mola mola - as well as provide important evidence to support conservation efforts in the islands. |
Norwegian deep-sea mining plans in limbo
| BERGEN, Norway, 22 April 2025 (Mongabay) - Norway’s plans to mine seabed minerals in Arctic waters remain in limbo after the first licensing round was delayed in December 2024. However, the government maintains that progress will resume soon, with a licensing round tentatively set for 2026. Some deep-sea mining companies have faced significant financial struggles due to the delay, with one company going bankrupt and another slashing costs; yet, other firms remain optimistic, insisting the industry’s future is still secure. |
Slave Trade: Goree Island and the 'Fragility of Freedom'
| DAKAR, Senegal, 22 April 2025 (IPS) - Gorée Island, off the coast of Dakar, is a somber reminder of the transatlantic slave trade. Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it embodies both the duty to remember and the challenges of passing on a painful past. But Gorée is not stuck in history; it’s an inhabited island, where heritage preservation, daily life and contemporary issues coexist. |
How nettles are saving an endangered bird
| BELFAST, NI, 22 April 2025 (BBC) - Multiple tonne bags of nettles from across Northern Ireland have been shipped to Rathlin Island in an effort to support the endangered corncrake bird. The nettle rhizomes have proven to be a success with the secretive bird as they provide tall vegetation for it to hide in when it returns from wintering in Africa. |
Indonesia strengthens forest monitoring with new tool
| JAKARTA, Indonesia, 21 April 2025 (Mongabay) - Indonesia is stepping up traceability efforts to comply with the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), which bans imports of deforestation-linked commodities like palm oil, timber and coffee starting in December 2025. A new platform, Ground Truthed.id (GTID), combines field-based evidence and geolocation data to detect and document environmental violations in real time, offering a bottom-up alternative to satellite-reliant systems. |
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SPREP |
 | Fourth Pacific Ocean Pacific Climate Change Conference, 20-24 May 2024, Apia, Samoa |
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SIDS |
 | 4th International Conference on Small Island Developing States 27-30 May 2024, Antigua and Barbuda |
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NAF |
 | North Atlantic Forum bi-annual international conference 17-21 June, 2024, Connemara, Ireland, |
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ISISA |
 | 19th Islands of the World Conference 25-29 June, 2024, Lombok Island, Indonesia |
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IWRA |
 | 1st Islands Water Congress 4-6 Sept, 2024, Torshavn, Faroe Islands |
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ANATOMY OF ISLANDS |
 | 12th Anatomy of Islands symposium 26-28 Sept, 2024, Jelsa, Hvar Island, Croatia |
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CIS |
 | Critical Island Studies 4th international conference 3-4 Oct, 2024, Manila, Philippines |
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CBD |
 | COP16 21 Oct-1 Nov, 2024, Cali, Colombia |
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UNFCCC |
 | COP29 11-22 November, 2024, Baku, Azerbaijan |
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ISLAND DYNAMICS |
 | DARKNESS II conference, 20-23 January 2025, Nuuk, Greenland |
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JICAS |
 | Islands And Island Studies conference 3-7 June, 2025, Jersey, Channel Islands |
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UNITED NATIONS |
 | UN Ocean Conference 9-13 June, 2025, Nice, France |
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UPEI |
 | 3rd international conference on SIS and SNIJs 16-20 June, 2025, Charlottetown, PEI |
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