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new scrutiny after researchers found that several of the concessions cited in the announcement had already expired, been revoked years earlier or are located outside the disaster-hit watersheds.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. |
Man in Sicily trained his dog to illegally dump rubbish
| | PALERMO, Italy, 20 February 2026 (Guardian) - A man in Catania, Sicily, trained his dog to dump bags of rubbish by the roadside in an attempt to evade cameras installed by local authorities to combat fly-tipping, municipal police have said. |
How seabird poop helped fuel ancient civilizations in Peru
| | SYDNEY, Australia, 19 February 2026 (Mongabay) - The Chincha Islands off the coast of Peru are home to many seabird species that cover their island homes with thick layers of poop, or guano. New research now suggests that ancient Peruvians in the Chincha Valley on the Peruvian mainland hunted these seabirds, collected their guano, and used it to fertilize their maize crops, which helped expand pre-Inca societies. |
|
 |
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 |
|
