Inside Australia's $150m gamble on the Pacific climate summit
| | CANBERRA, Australia, 17 August 2026 (PINA) - In October, Australia – one of the world’s top coal and gas producers – will host a climate summit in Fiji and Tuvalu, at a cost to taxpayers of $50 million, in what Climate and Energy Minister Chris Bowen says is an effort to bring global attention to the Pacific’s plight. The summit, which is the centrepiece of a broader $150 million Pacific package, is the result of the Albanese government’s shift in approach to Pacific relations, which is built on a conspicuous public embrace of the region’s climate prodding, and a bet that the green transition can be an economic and diplomatic boon for Australia. |
Aceh's community fishers struggle to preserve tradition
| | BANDA ACEH, Indonesia, 17 August 2026 (Mongabay) - Coastal communities in Indonesia’s Aceh province have practiced community fish trawling since the time of the Aceh Sultanate, but the tradition today exists in only a handful of communities across the semiautonomous province. It is under threat due to the increasing burden of plastic and other household waste accumulating in nearshore waters and along beaches.. |
Kangaroo Island's new ferry service delayed again
| | PORT PIRIE, Australia, 17 August 2026 (ABC) - Kangaroo Island's long-awaited new ferry service has been delayed yet again, more than 12 months after it was supposed to start. Electrical components on the second ferry were damaged during final testing, causing the delay. |
Coyotes thwarting sea turtle nest decoy effort on Sanibel island
| | TAMPA, US, 16 August 2026 (WUSF) - Coyotes ate well last summer after digging deep into the beach on Sanibel Island when sea turtle hatchlings were still developing in their shells. This year, researchers at the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation have been trying to frustrate the animals into losing interest in sea turtle nests on Bowman's Beach by using decoys with no reward buried in the sand underneath. |
Endangered blue-tailed skinks released on Cocos (Keeling) Islands
| | KARRATHA, Australia, 15 August 2026 (ABC) - More than 500 blue-tailed skinks have been released on Horsburgh Island in the Cocos (Keeling) Islands in an effort to bolster numbers. Numbers of the species dropped dramatically due to introduced predators on Christmas Island. It is hoped that the blue-tailed skinks will breed and establish a large colony on Horsburgh Island, enabling them to be removed from the critically endangered list. |
New rule allows dogs on Alaska's Pribilof Islands for anti-rat duties
| | JUNEAU, Alaska, 14 August 2026 (AB) - For decades, dogs have been verboten on the Pribilof Islands under a rule imposed by the federal government to protect the world’s largest concentration of northern fur seals. Now, dogs are welcome - with important caveats. Under a new interim rule enacted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, dogs may be brought to the islands, but only for the specific purpose of hunting for rats. |
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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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SOCIETY OF ISLAND BIOLOGY |
| | 5th Island Biology conference 2-6 November, 2026, Atami City, Japan |
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IWRA |
| | 2nd Islands Water Congress 9-11 Dec, 2026, Montego Bay, Jamaica |
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