Protecting dolphins and whales in our Pacific
| | APIA, Samoa, 22 February 2026 (SPREP) - Traditional knowledge, science, storytelling and innovation will converge in Fiji next week as Pacific nations and global partners gather to strengthen collaborative conservation efforts for whales and dolphins across the Western Pacific. The routes whales travel, known as “blue corridors,” increasingly overlap with hazards such as growing risks from fisheries bycatch, busy shipping lanes, ocean pollution and climate change. |
Floreana giant tortoise reintroduced to Galapagos island
| | LONDON, UK, 20 February 2026 (Guardian) - Giant tortoises, the life-giving engineers of remote small island ecosystems, are plodding over the Galapagos island of Floreana for the first time in more than 180 years after ‘back breeding’ programme using partial descendants. |
Pacific nations too dependent on seasonal worker schemes
| | WELLINGTON, New Zealand, 20 February 2026 (RNZ) - Concerns are rising that Pacific Island nations may be too dependent on remittances, as temporary worker schemes in wealthier countries become more popular. Issues around labour mobility schemes have prompted the Samoan government to cap seasonal workers from accessing those programmes. |
Vanuatu strengthens nature-based solutions
| | PORT VILA, Vanuatu, 20 February 2026 (SPREP) - Climate change is already affecting people’s livelihoods, food security, infrastructure, and cultural heritage across Vanuatu. In response, the country is working to strengthen its policies and planning so communities can better prepare for and adapt to these impacts. |
Sumatra plan to permit 'community' mines alarms civil society
| | PADANG, Indonesia, 20 February 2026 (Mongabay) - The government of West Sumatra plans to move forward with a legal pathway for up to 300 small mines operating illegally in the heavily forested province, joining several other devolved governments grappling with how to treat the vast number of unlicensed mines operating across Indonesia. |
Indonesia faces scrutiny over permit revocations
| | JAKARTA, Indonesia, 20 February 2026 (Mongabay) - The Indonesian government’s revocation of 28 forestry, plantation and mining permits after the deadly Sumatra floods is facing new scrutiny after researchers found that several of the concessions cited in the announcement had already expired, been revoked years earlier or are located outside the disaster-hit watersheds. |
Deportation of Chagos Islanders blocked by judge
| | LONDON, UK, 20 February 2026 (BBC) - A judge has issued an order to temporarily block the deportation of four Chagossians who travelled to the Chagos Islands to protest against a deal to hand over the territory to Mauritius. In his ruling, the judge upheld challenges about an unreasonable delay or failure to grant the men permits to visit the territory and the lawfulness of the removal orders. |
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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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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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ISISA |
| | 20th Islands of the World Conference 7-11 July 2026, Shinan County, Jeollanam-do, South Korea |
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