China is remaking the South China Sea with a return to island-building
| | SYDNEY, Australia, 27 April 2026 (Interpreter) - After nearly a decade of relative pause, China has resumed large-scale island-building in the South China Sea. Satellite images of Antelope Reef show a once-submerged feature rapidly transformed into what could become one of Beijing’s largest outposts in the region. It signals a renewed willingness to reshape maritime geography as a means of consolidating control. |
How climate change threatens the economic backbone of the Pacific
| | LONDON, UK, 27 April 2026 (BBC) - The vast Pacific Ocean and the islands dotted within it produce more than half of the world's tuna. Among the islands are 33 scattered across the centre that encompass the country of Kiribati. Here more than 70% of government revenues come from selling tuna fishing licenses to foreign fleets - the highest proportion of any nation. |
Great Blue Wall National Steering Committee convenes in the Comoros
| | GLAND, Switzerland, 25 April 2026 (IUCN) - The Great Blue Wall is an African born initiative and global south led movement working to conserve and restore marine and coastal ecosystems through nature-based solution approaches while supporting sustainable and climate resilience across the Western Indian Ocean and beyond. The initiative aims to strengthen interconnected marine and coastal areas and unlock the potential of a regenerative blue economy. |
Nesting native seabirds thrive after invasive rats are eradicated
| | LIHUE, Hawaii., 25 April 2026 (TGI) - After a years-long multi-agency effort to eradicate invasive rats on Wake Atoll, ecosystems are already showing signs of bouncing back. Island Conservation announced this week that 16 species of nesting native birds are reappearing and increasing in numbers as rats no longer raid their nests to eat their eggs and hatchlings. |
Maine island fishermen have recycled thousands of old lobster traps
| | BOSTON, US, 24 April 2026 (WBUR) - A common scene up and down Maine's coast are battered wire fishing traps piled high in a front yard, tucked back in the woods, or strewn along the shore after a storm. Wire pots wrapped with polyvinyl plastic replaced wooden, biodegradable traps in the 1980s, and they've been piling up since, shedding microplastics and creating hazards for birds and other creatures. |
Why the global oil shock is hitting NZ's small Pacific neighbours hard
| | AUCKLAND, New Zealand, 24 April 2026 (Conversation) - When Tuvalu recently moved to declare a state of emergency, it laid bare a major vulnerability long faced by New Zealand’s small and far-flung Pacific neighbours. That is their heavy reliance on imported fuel - delivered through long and often fragile supply chains - to power electricity, transport and other essential services. With a population of just over 10,600, Tuvalu spends roughly one quarter of its GDP on imported petroleum. With limited storage capacity and few alternatives, it requires regular diesel shipments to keep the lights on and services running. |
|
 |
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 |
|
GSIS |
| | Global Sustainable Islands Summit 20-22 April, 2026, Gran Canaria, Spain |
|
SICRI |
| | Island Studies International Conference 25-28 June, 2026, Tacloban City, Leyte Islands, Philippines |
|
ISISA |
| | 20th Islands of the World Conference 7-11 July 2026, Shinan County, Jeollanam-do, South Korea |
|
SPREP |
| | 11th Pacific Islands Conference for Nature Conservation and Protected Areas, 7–11 September 2026, Noumea, New Caledonia |
|
