Pacific leads global push on ocean acidification
| | WELLINGTON, New Zealand, 14 October 2026 (RNZ) - As the world’s ocean acidification community gathers in Wellington, Pacific governments, scientists and finance institutions lay out how the region is turning science into climate action ahead of COP3. |
Two rare pregnancies spark hope for Sumatran rhinos
| | JAKARTA, Indonesia, 14 October 2026 (Mongabay) - Two near-extinct Sumatran rhinos are pregnant at a sanctuary in Indonesia, offering a rare boost for a species that numbers only a few dozen in the wild. The pregnancies are the latest result of a decades-long captive-breeding effort aimed at helping the solitary animals reproduce as their wild populations become increasingly isolated. But the expected births also underscore the challenges of managing a small captive population with limited genetic diversity: the pregnant females are related, as are the two sires. |
Badenoch: Farage’s Chagos-Falklands offer to Trump is humiliating
| | LONDON, UK, 13 October 2026 (Telegraph) - Kemi Badenoch has criticised Nigel Farage over his “humiliating” comments about giving Donald Trump the Chagos Islands in return for silence about the Falklands. Mr Farage had told a podcast he would offer the US president the archipelago as part of a “trade”, if Mr Trump agreed to “stop talking about the Falkland Islands”. In a rebuke to the Reform UK leader, Mrs Badenoch said: “Giving away British territory in return for someone keeping quiet is not a deal. It is humiliating. |
UK asks Interpol to reject Argentina’s requests for arrests
| | PORT STANLEY, Falkland Islands, 13 October 2026 (Guardian) - Britain has appealed to Interpol to reject Argentina’s requests for the arrest of individuals involved in a large oil project off the Falkland Islands. With tensions over the sovereignty of the British overseas territory reaching levels not seen since the war with Argentina in 1982, UK officials have sought urgent assurances from the international organisation. A letter has been sent to Interpol’s headquarters in Lyon arguing that “red notice” requests from Argentina for the arrest of such individuals, including British nationals, should be seen as politically motivated. |
Taiwan’s tea revival blends ancient terraces with new technology
| | SHENKENG, Taiwan, 13 October 2026 (Mongabay) - Taiwan’s Shenkeng region was once a major tea-producing center, but industrialization and urbanization hollowed out the industry by the 1970s, allowing abandoned tea terraces to return to forest. A government-backed effort is now restoring tea production and its cultural heritage, using the region’s historic stone terraces alongside drip irrigation, soil sensors, and more resilient tea varieties. |
The Pacific Islands are changing
| | NEWCASTLE, Australia, 13 October 2026 (Conversation) - On Lakina, a small, uninhabited islet in the Pacific nation of Tuvalu, a lone church stands among the coconut palms and pandanus trees. Built in the early 20th century using timber brought from Kanton Island in what is now Kiribati, the church carries generations of community history and connection to place. As Tuvalu, a nation of 9,646, invests in protecting its islands from rising sea levels, while creating opportunities for people to migrate to Australia, Lakina raises an important question: what happens to cultural heritage when the people that gave it meaning move away? |
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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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WORLD ISLANDS FAIR |
 | | The world’s first international event themed around islands 5 Sept-4 Nov, 2026, Yeosu, 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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SOCIETY OF ISLAND BIOLOGY |
 | | 5th Island Biology conference 2-6 November, 2026, Atami City, Japan |
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IWRA |
 | | 2nd Islands Water Congress 27-29 Jan, 2027, Montego Bay, Jamaica |
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ISISA |
 | | 21st Islands of the Word Conference 6-10 June, 2027, Willemstad, Curacao |
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