Coral reefs are secretly connected across vast oceans
| | TOWNSVILLE, Australia, 22 April 2026 (Conversation) - Lord Howe Island lies in the middle of the ocean, about 700 kilometres northeast of Sydney. It’s covered in lush forest and fringed by the world’s most southerly coral reef ecosystem. This reef system isn’t as famous as its northern neighbour, the Great Barrier Reef, but our new research shows it plays an outsized role in keeping vast coral regions across the Pacific connected – and alive. |
Why forest conservation is also public health
| | ANTANANARIVO, Madagascar, 22 April 2026 (Mongabay) - A new study from Madagascar provides the first complete mitochondrial genomes for two endemic tuft-tailed rats, offering a clearer baseline for identifying and tracking native rodent species. Fieldwork found these native rodents only in intact forest, while degraded areas were dominated by invasive black rats, suggesting a shift in community composition linked to habitat change. Understanding which rodent species are present, where they live, and how their populations change is critical not just for biodiversity, but for identifying how pathogen dynamics may shift across landscapes. |
Fiji villagers reject plan for 'Pacific ashtray' in beach paradise
| | SYDNEY, Australia, 22 April 2026 (AFP) - An Australian billionaire's plan to burn rubbish for energy in Fiji amounts to "waste colonialism" and risks spoiling a "beach paradise", villagers and the Pacific nation's UN ambassador said. Traditional landowner Inoke Tora boarded a bus to the capital Suva on Tuesday with a petition from villagers opposing the $630 million waste-to-energy incinerator, which is forecast to consume 900,000 tonnes of non-recyclable rubbish each year. |
Indonesia orangutan forest cleared for 'carbon-neutral' packaging firm
| | BANGKOK, Thailand, 22 April 2026 (AFP) - Vast tracts of Indonesian rainforest home to endangered orangutans have been cleared for plantations supplying a maker of "carbon-neutral" packaging, an investigation by AFP and The Gecko Project has found. Pulp and paper firm Asia Symbol has a no-deforestation policy and supplied major companies like Haleon, the British pharmaceutical giant behind household brands Panadol and Sensodyne. But wood from plantations where tens of thousands of hectares of forest were felled - including orangutan habitat - was processed at an Indonesian mill supplying Asia Symbol. |
Zlarin Coral Centre wins top European award
| | ZAGREB, Croatia, 22 April 2026 (CW) - The Croatian Coral Centre Zlarin has been awarded one of Europe’s most prestigious cultural honours, the Europa Nostra Award 2026, in the category of citizen engagement and awareness-raising. Located on the island of Zlarin and managed by the Tvrdava kulture Šibenik, the centre is dedicated to preserving and promoting the island’s long-standing coral harvesting tradition. |
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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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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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