It's one of the world's most isolated islands. Here come the bulldozers
| | THE GREAT NICOBAR ISLAND, India, 7 June 2026 (NPR) - Fireflies illuminate the edge of a forest on the Great Nicobar Island as field biologist Sumit Kumar tries to find a particularly shy creature. A soft hoot wafts through the thicket. Kumar scans the trees with his flashlight: Sitting on a branch is a rare, wide-eyed, fat Nicobarese Scops owl. It narrows its eyes into what feels like a death-glare. Kumar smiles: "When you spot them, they look at you as if to say, 'You don't belong here.'" |
Picturesque Malta set to 'implode' as concrete jungle devours all
| | VALLETTA, Malta, 6 June 2026 (AFP) - Farmer Annalisa Schembri is battling to save a wheat field from developers in Malta, where a construction boom is engulfing lands and villages, with even historic UNESCO sites in jeopardy. The tiny Mediterranean island is the most densely populated country in Europe, and approvals for new buildings are soaring despite scandals dogging the development sector. Malta sparked outrage last month over its decision to demolish a 19th-century British barracks to build a five-star hotel and housing complex, and experts warn the prehistoric Santa Verna Temple is also under threat from encroaching, pool-side luxury units. |
Deep-sea mining firm TMC sues international regulator
| | NEW YORK, US, 5 June 2026 (AFP) - The Metals Company (TMC), a Canadian firm focused on deep-sea mining on the high seas, has taken its dispute with the global regulatory body overseeing the nascent and controversial industry to an international tribunal. |
Chagossians urge UK to complete islands’ handover to Mauritius
| | LONDON, UK, 5 June 2026 (Guardian) - A Chagossian delegation visiting the UK has urged parliamentarians to complete stalled legislation to hand the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, which they say has been “hijacked within the halls” of UK politics. The six-person contingent from the Chagos Refugees Group expressed their full support for the UK to conclude an agreement after the government was forced to shelve legislation when the US dropped support for the agreement. |
Scotland's ancient human-made islands are dripping with secrets
| | NEW YORK, US, 5 June 2026 (PS) - Mysterious and ancient human-made islands of timber and stone have endured amidst Scotland’s more well-known standing stones, Roman forts, and 18th century battlefields. Called crannogs, archeologists were initially not so sure what purpose these islands served, but were relatively confident that most of them date back to between the Iron Age (800 BCE to 400 CE) and the post medieval period (1550 to 1800). That is, until local diver Chris Murray found pottery fragments that were much older than they should have been. |
Vet says St Kilda's dying sheep left him feeling helpless
| | LONDON, UK, 5 June 2026 (BBC) - A vet campaigning for greater protection for St Kilda's rare sheep says the sight of dead and dying animals left him feeling helpless. Soay and Boreray, two breeds that roam wild on the archipelago, are descended from animals first brought to the group of small islands and rocky sea stacks thousands of years ago. David Buckland, who says a lack of winter grazing causes sheep to starve to death, visited St Kilda in April and was surprised to still find animals dying off even though more grass was available. |
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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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ARCTIC COUNCIL |
| | UArctic Congress 26-29 May 2026, Torshavn, Faroe Islands |
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SICRI |
| | Island Studies International Conference 25-28 June, 2026, Tacloban City, Leyte Islands, Philippines |
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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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SPREP |
| | 11th Pacific Islands Conference for Nature Conservation and Protected Areas, 7–11 September 2026, Noumea, New Caledonia |
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ANATOMY OF ISLANDS |
| | 14th Anatomy of Islands symposium 15-17 Oct, 2026, Jelsa, Hvar Island, Croatia |
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IWRA |
| | 2nd Islands Water Congress 9-11 Dec, 2026, Montego Bay, Jamaica |
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