How Amsterdam Island turned into an unlikely haven for feral cows
| | LONDON, UK, 10 February 2026 (DM) - In 1871, a farmer dumped five cattle on a small, inhospitable island in the middle of the southern Indian Ocean. Against all odds, this tiny herd not only survived but also flourished, adapting to its harsh new home and multiplying, reaching a population of around 2,000 individuals by the late 1980s. By all accounts, this should not have happened. The founding group was too small and the genetic diversity too low to sustain a viable population for any length of time. So, why was this particular band of bovines so successful? |
US sanctions officials from Marshall Islands and Palau
| | DOHA, Qatar, 11 February 2026 (Al Jazeera) - The administration of United States President Donald Trump has sanctioned two leaders of Pacific island nations for alleged corruption, accusing them both of creating openings for China to increase its influence in the region. |
Cape Verde bug deaths claim: Experts give advice
| | LONDON, UK, 11 February 2026 (BBC) - The deaths of British tourists within months of contracting stomach bugs on Cape Verde has raised questions about the safety of visiting the island. Since December, the UK Health Security Agency has been investigating reports of Shigella sonnei, a bacteria that can cause severe diarrhoea, fever and stomach cramps. A spokesperson for the Ministry of Health of Cape Verde said reporting of the situation had been "disproportionate". In a statement, they added: "There is no epidemiological evidence confirming an active outbreak or a sustained change in the national health profile." |
Isles crofters call for greater controls on wild geese numbers
| | GLASGOW, UK, 11 February 2026 (BBC) - Crofters in the Western Isles have called for greater controls on wild geese. Thousands of greylag geese feed on machair, which are coastal meadows also used for growing crops and grazing livestock.The Scottish Crofting Federation said there were too many geese and has requested additional funding for culls so crofters and birds could "live in balance". |
Scientists uncover the climate shock that reshaped Easter Island
| | NEW YORK, US, 10 February 2026 (SD) - Around 1550, life on Rapa Nui began changing in ways long misunderstood. New research reveals that a severe drought, lasting more than a century, dramatically reduced rainfall on the already water-scarce island, reshaping how people lived, worshiped, and organized society. Instead of collapsing, Rapanui communities adapted - shifting rituals, power structures, and sacred spaces in response to climate stress. |
Birds stitched Caribbean islands together with seeds
| | RENO, US, 10 February 2026 (Earth.com) - Plants cover the Massif de la Hotte in southern Hispaniola so densely that the mountain feels like a puzzle no one meant to solve this way. It is steep, rough, and packed with plant life. For years, scientists wondered why this single mountain range holds more plant species than almost anywhere else in the Caribbean. The answer did not come from soil samples or rock layers. It came on wings. |
Poaching cases uncovered on Japan's Nansei Islands
| | TOKYO, Japan, 10 February 2026 (JN) - The poaching of rare species designated as national natural monuments and other protected creatures has been occurring repeatedly on Japan’s Nansei Islands. Rare species can be traded in overseas markets for high prices, and experts are calling for harsher penalties. |
|
 |
SIDS |
 | | 4th International Conference on Small Island Developing States 27-30 May 2024, Antigua and Barbuda |
|
NAF |
| | North Atlantic Forum bi-annual international conference 17-21 June, 2024, Connemara, Ireland, |
|
IWRA |
| | 1st Islands Water Congress 4-6 Sept, 2024, Torshavn, Faroe Islands |
|
ANATOMY OF ISLANDS |
| | 12th Anatomy of Islands symposium 26-28 Sept, 2024, Jelsa, Hvar Island, Croatia |
|
CIS |
| | Critical Island Studies 4th international conference 3-4 Oct, 2024, Manila, Philippines |
|
CBD |
| | COP16 21 Oct-1 Nov, 2024, Cali, Colombia |
|
UNFCCC |
| | COP29 11-22 November, 2024, Baku, Azerbaijan |
|
ISLAND DYNAMICS |
| | DARKNESS II conference, 20-23 January 2025, Nuuk, Greenland |
|
JICAS |
| | Islands And Island Studies conference 3-7 June, 2025, Jersey, Channel Islands |
|
UNITED NATIONS |
| | UN Ocean Conference 9-13 June, 2025, Nice, France |
|
UPEI |
| | 3rd international conference on SIS and SNIJs 16-20 June, 2025, Charlottetown, PEI |
|
ISISA |
| | 20th Islands of the World Conference 7-11 July 2026, Shinan County, Jeollanam-do, South Korea |
|
