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World Oceans Day

8 June 2024, New York, United States of America

World Water Day

22 March 2024, New York, United States of America

World Wetlands Day

2 February 2024, Gland, Switzerland

Intersessional workshop of the Sustainable Ocean Initiative Global Dialogue with Regional Seas Organizations and Regional Fishery Bodies

1 - 3 August 2023, Online

World Oceans Day

8 June 2023, New York, United States of America

Jamaicans urged to protect biodiversity

Jamaicans are being urged to take personal responsibility for perserving the evvironment.

Extinction obituary: the sudden, sad disappearance of the Christmas Island forest skink

The last Christmas Island forest skink was named Gump. She lived in a spacious cage filled with rocks, soil, logs and a ready supply of fresh invertebrate food in the island’s national park.

Safeguarding Biodiversity is Vital for Tourism to Costa Rica

Costa Rica is one of the most desired destinations by tourists from various parts of the world and one of the reasons is related to its extensive biodiversity since foreigners want to know the natural beauties that it houses in its more than 51 thousand square kilometers.

Rodrigues: The Indian Ocean island time forgot

Marooned 600km north-east of Mauritius, and close to no other landform, Rodrigues is a world unto itself. It is also one of the world's most remote inhabited islands.

Saint Helena - A Bastion of Biodiversity

The small island of St. Helena in the South Atlantic is home to unique fauna and flora. Many of the more than 400 species living here are found nowhere else in the world.

How a Global Organisation is Safeguarding Planet Earth’s Key to Survival

There are more than 100,000 islands on Earth, all of which are responsible and indispensable for our survival. Home to the greatest reserve of biodiversity, islands house almost 20 per cent of the planet’s entire biodiversity.

World Wetlands Day: "Value - Manage - Restore - Love Wetlands"

2 February 2022, Gland, Switzerland

The world's tiny islands inspiring green action

Small island communities have often been pioneers for sustainability and climate action. Are they a snapshot of a greener future, or a distraction from bigger problems elsewhere?

For tradition and nature on the Bijagós Islands, loss of one threatens the other

Communities in the Bijagós Islands off Guinea-Bissau have for generations maintained a close spiritual connection to nature that’s been credited with the archipelago remaining a biodiversity hotspot.

Island conservationists identify key barriers to meeting biodiversity targets

The failure to meet global biodiversity targets clearly indicates the need for more effective biodiversity management and conservation efforts, and this in turn requires better understanding of the current barriers to success.

The barriers to achieving island biodiversity targets

A study indicates the greater necessity for biodiversity conservation, analysing 33 barriers to reaching biodiversity targets and how nations are to better manage island ecosystems

Island conservationists identify key barriers to meeting biodiversity targets

Research with island conservationists in the Western Indian Ocean revealed a raft of barriers operating across management levels, which interfere with their ability to achieve local and national conservation objectives. The most common problems were limited capacity, limited resources and a lack ...

Over half of the world’s vertebrates reside in the tropics

It has long been known that, when it comes to biodiversity, the tropics reign supreme. However, until now, scientists did not have an exact estimate of how many of the world’ s species resided there.

Boom time for Cape Verde’s sea turtles as conservation pays off

It’s nearly midnight as Delvis Semedo strolls along an empty beach on the Cape Verdean island of Maio. Overhead, the dense Milky Way pierces the darkness. A sea turtle emerges from the crashing waves and lumbers up the shore. Then another. And another.

New study warns biodiversity of plants, animals in Hawaii are in jeopardy

A new study about the loss of biodiversity in island regions is highlighting the urgent need for more action to protect Hawaii’s unique ecosystem.

Biodiversity of islands worldwide is in peril, scientists warn

Scientists are sounding the alarm. The biodiversity of islands around the world is becoming increasingly threatened, due in large part to habitat loss, overexploitation, invasive species and climate change.

Monteverde is Costa Rica’s newest canton

“With a unique biodiversity in the country, Monteverde is a prosperous and peaceful area, of high tourist attraction, whose inhabitants have known how to develop sustainable economic activities, protecting and caring for their natural resources,” said President Carlos Alvarado at a signing ceremony.

Apo Island goes zero waste

ONE of the country's top scuba diving sites, the Apo Island in Dauin, Negros Oriental, is intensifying its advocacy on zero waste management as it pilot tests the use of organic shampoos and body wash, lime soap bars, organic liquid laundry and dishwashing solutions to eliminate plastic waste sa ...

Helping hands for Small Island Developing States

Nearly 30 years ago, given their unique environmental and developmental needs, Small Island Developing States were recognized as a special category at the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development.

Scientists are fighting to protect a shark and turtle 'superhighway'

Deep in the Pacific Ocean, an underwater "superhighway" stretches roughly 700 kilometers (430 miles) between the marine reserves of Ecuador's Galapagos Islands and Cocos Island, off the coast of Costa Rica.

Costa Rica Strengthens Biodiversity of Isla Del Coco

The Ministry of Environment and Energy (Minae) of Costa Rica announced today the strengthening of the program for the protection of marine and insular biodiversity of Isla Del Coco, classified as a natural laboratory.

The 59th meeting of the Standing Committee of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands

21 - 25 June 2021, Gland, Switzerland

COVID Recovery Push In This Caribbean Island Threatens Green Goals

As a child, Sophie Grizzle Roumel remembers swimming in the warm turquoise waters near a beach surrounded by mangroves outside her small village on Jamaica’s west end.

Lakshadweep Islands At Risk of Losing Land Due to Rising Sea Levels: Study

The 35 islands of the Lakshadweep archipelago are at risk of land erosion and being inundated due to rising sea levels, according to new climate change projections.

The development plan that could end up sinking Lakshadweep islands

A resident of Androth island in Lakshadweep, Muhammed Hambdulla Syed, says that the Lakshadweep islands are facing an environmental disaster. “Our forefathers landed here centuries ago but the local community has caused very little damage to the fragile ecosystem of the archipelago as its susten ...

Avenue Of The Baobabs, Madagascar

Madagascar, the world’s second-largest island country located off Africa’s eastern coast, is an island of diverse ecosystem and biodiversity hotspot. The country has unique wildlife, with 90% of its plants and animals found nowhere else. Madagascar’s wildlife, especially plants, create some of t ...

Focus on Sundarbans~I

Nature is normally not angry, ferocious, wild, or tamable. More importantly, it encompasses humanity ~ mankind that is vibrant, thinking, wanting, and often greedy. But things are not going as well as they ought to be due to human wickedness. Nature is both harsh and kind but kinder to those who ...

Conservation solutions in paradise: Jamaica’s Oracabessa Bay Fishing Sanctuary

The coastal ecosystem of the Caribbean is as unique as the region’s year-round humid tropical climate. On the island of Jamaica, picturesque deep-blue waters and rich biodiversity are among the country’s top tourism draws.

Wallacea Biodiversity Hotspot

The world can be divided many different ways, including dispersion of species, which is the distribution of organisms over time within certain areas of the Earth. A contributor to the study of dispersion, Alfred Russel Wallace, suggested that the line running specifically between Bali and Lumbok ...

Leonardo DiCaprio Helps Launch Massive ‘Rewild’ Operation In The Galapagos

Actor Leonardo DiCaprio is helping a massive $43 million initiative to “rewild” the struggling Galapagos Islands, which he describes as “one of the most irreplaceable” spots on the planet.

Taking care of biodiverse islands

Islands have a special appeal – why else do visitors flock to tropical islands as places of idyll and escape. Islanders must exercise special care of their ecosystems which are fragile. Dr Anjani Ganase explains why islands are more vulnerable; and considers the delicate balance.

Science & conservation in the Galapagos Islands

The Galapagos Islands are facing increasing risk. Globalisation, climate change and international tourism conspire to threaten island sustainability through local and global forces of change. The critical loss of endemic species, wildlife trafficking, and the unrelenting pressure of human impact ...

Nuts for coco de mer: islanders rally to save world’s biggest seed

The rare palm that bears this botanical icon grows wild on just two islands in Seychelles. Now locals are helping to save it in a new planting scheme

Migration routes of one of Britain's largest ducks revealed for the first time

New research, just published in the journal Ringing & Migration, has used state of the art tracking technology to investigate how one of Britain's largest ducks, the Shelduck, interacts with offshore wind turbines during their migration across the North Sea.

How to limit the ecological costs of urbanization in China

An eco-island near Shanghai aims to balance development projects with sustainability.

'Island of Rats' recovers

Along the western edge of Alaska's Aleutian archipelago, a group of islands that were inadvertently populated with rodents came to earn the ignominious label of the "Rat Islands."

World Maritime Day 2020

24 September 2020, London, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Humans Lead to Biodiversity Loss on Reunion Island

Researchers use lava flow analysis on Reunion Island to determine the ecological impact that humans had on species extinction and biodiversity loss.

Biodiversity, colonisation and tropical islands

A natural experiment created by an active volcano has given new insight into the long-term negative impacts of human colonisation of tropical forest islands.

Inaugural Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee Day

If there’s one thing Jamaicans can boast about, it’s having a reliable and recognisable brand with major marketability. Brand Jamaica not only has music and beautiful vistas on its roster, but also, and maybe most importantly for those of us who ‘love wi belly’, a hard-working Ministry of Indust ...

One in a million

The biodiversity observed in the Hawaiian Islands is a breathtaking sight on any given day. Hawai‘i boasts a rich variety of plants and animals that inhabit the land and carpet the lush, green mountain ranges. Each island harbors unique vegetation distinct to its home landscape.

Galapagos Islands illustrate power of biodiversity in changing climate

The Galapagos Islands, one of the first marine reserves in the world and Charles Darwin’s famed site of revolutionary observation, recently housed University researchers looking to better understand biodiversity.

Faroe Islands 'close down' as tourists fly in to repair them

In the North Atlantic lies a remote group of volcanic islands renowned for their rugged beauty. Increasingly favoured by tourists, the Faroe Islands announced this year they were temporarily closing down parts of the country.

The Colombian teen fighting to protect her island's coral reefs

Blast fishing is devastating Tierra Bomba's marine ecosystems. One young woman is taking on macho culture to protect the Colombian island's future.

The U.N. says 1 million species could disappear. Pacific islands have a solution

Last week, a global scientific assessment found the business-as-usual approach to conservation is not delivering the critical action needed to safeguard the future health of our planet.

Paradise found: Saint Lucia preserving beauty through data and policy action

If ever an island justified the label “paradise” that tourist brochures liberally apply to destinations, it is Saint Lucia.Shaped like a teardrop, this tiny Caribbean nation has everything. Crescent moon beaches of white sand.

169 Islands that Offer Hope for Stemming the Extinction Crisis

Restoring islands by eradicating damaging, non-native invasive mammals such as rats, cats, goats, and pigs has repeatedly proven to be a high impact conservation action. New research published in PLOS ONE shows this conservation action can have a major contribution towards stemming the global ex ...

Biodiversity Conservation on a Newly-formed Island

Four years ago, an island was erected out of what seemed like thin air. In a desolate place once only greeted by the sound of crashing waves and an occasional seabird, a formation of rock protruded outwards and upwards. The new island is officially nameless but has been coined Hunga Ha’apai (Hun ...

Make Jamaica Green Again: 10 Powerful Women Leading The Sustainability Movement

Millions of tourists each year visit Jamaica for its spectacular natural landscapes, from the beaches of Portland to the coffee farms of the Blue Mountains. But, like all countries, Jamaica also has to contend with environmental problems that are compounded by being a small island nation.

Welcome home: iguanas are reintroduced to Galápagos island after 200 years

A group of 1436 land iguanas have been reintroduced to Santiago Island (Isla Santiago) – the fourth largest of the Galápagos islands – after an absence of more than 200 years.

'Voice of the forest': George the snail, last of his kind, dies at age 14

As New Year’s Day broke in the Hawaiian Islands, one rare creature was not there to emerge from his shell and greet it: George, the last snail of his kind and a local celebrity, was dead at age 14.

Tanzania: Seawalls and Forests Aim to Save the Living - and Dead - in Tanzania

Kisiwa Panza — For over 25 years, rising seas linked to climate change have caused repeated flooding on the small island of Kisiwa Panza

World Maritime Day 2018

28 September 2018, London, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Twenty-seventh Meeting of States Parties to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UN/DOALOS)

12 - 16 June 2017, New York, United States of America

The Ocean Conference: "Our Oceans, Our Future: Partnering for the Implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14"

5 - 9 June 2017, New York, United States of America

Capacity-building workshop for small island developing States in the Pacific regarding Aichi Biodiversity Target 9 on invasive alien species

8 - 12 August 2016, Apia, Samoa

Postponement of the Capacity-building workshop for the Small Island Developing States of the Pacific and Indian Ocean to support implementation of Invasive Alien Species, 7-11 December 2015 - Nadi, Fiji

Reference: SCBD/MPO/AF/OH/JSH/CE/84551 (2015-120)
To: CBD National Focal Points of Comoros, Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Seychelles, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu

Connecting the islands to complete the biodiversity puzzles

Island conservation is the hot issue nowadays. Life forms started from deep sea and flourished on islands. Roots up conservation action is very crucial to establish a long term support and impact on local people. Therefore, constant communication between different stake holders and massive envir ...

Our Pacific Voyage: Natural Solutions for Island Resilience

Our Pacific Voyage to protect and conserve our regions’ biodiversity is an ongoing one, as we navigate this journey we are learning and experiencing new moments and lessons which we wish to share and learn from others. The Pacific islands will showcase work done in the region on our voyage, und ...

Threats to the island biodiversity by military base constructions in Okinawa, Japan and Jeju, Korea

The theme of the International Day for Biological Diversity 2014 was "Island Biodiversity". Islands and their surrounding sea has often unique ecosystem connected to rivers and forests. They are rich in biodiversity, endemic and endangered species/subspecies. However, in islands and their coasta ...

Opening Statement by Mr. Braulio Ferreira de Souza Dias, CBD Executive Secretary, to the Seventh Plenary Session of the Third United Nations Small Island Developing States (UN SIDS) Conference, Apia, Samoa, 4 September 2014

Capacity-building workshop for Small Island Developing States to achieve Aichi Biodiversity Target 9 on Invasive Alien Species, 14-15 June 2014- Montreal, Canada

Reference: SCBD/SAM/DC/JSH/CE/83223 (2014-033)
To: CBD and SBSTTA Focal Points, relevant organizations and potential donors

UNEP/CBD/SBSTTA/16/4

Island Biodiversity: In-Depth Review of the Implementation of the Programme of Work

UNEP/CBD/SBSTTA/16/INF/3

Compilation and Synthesis of Information Submitted by Parties, Other Governments and Organizations for the In-Depth Review on Island Biodiversity (Reposted 21 August 2012)

UNEP/CBD/SBSTTA/16/INF/4

Integration of Climate Change Impacts and Response Activities Within the Programme of Work on Island Biodiversity

UNEP/CBD/SBSTTA/14/INF/29

Report of the Workshop “Helping Islands Adapt – Aworkshop on Regional Action to Combat Invasive Alien Species on Islands to Preserve Biodiversity and Adapt to Climate Change” (11-16 April 2010, Auckand, New Zealand)

UNEP/CBD/COP/8/INF/40

Island Biological Diversity: Supporting Activities for The Secretariat, Suggested Partners, and Linkages with Decisions of the Conference of the Parties and Processes

UNEP/CBD/COP/9/INF/6

Island Biodiversity: Report of the Strategy Meeting of the Global Island Partnership

UNEP/CBD/SBSTTA/12/INF/7

Report of the Workshop on the Ecosystem Approach and Customary Practice in Protected Areas in Small Islands, Bangkok, 12-16 December 2006

UNEP/CBD/WS-EA-PA-Islands/1/1

Annotated Provisional Agenda

UNEP/CBD/WS-EA-PA-Islands/1/2

Workshop Report

Document

Information Note for Participants

UNEP/CBD/COP/8/13

Island Biological Diversity: Compilation of Supporting Actions for the Programme of Work

UNEP/CBD/SBSTTA/10/4

Island Biodiversity: Proposed Elements for a Programme of Work

UNEP/CBD/SBSTTA/10/INF/1

Report of the Ad Hoc Technical Expert Group on Island Biodiversity

UNEP/CBD/SBSTTA/10/INF/26

Report of the Liaison Group on Island Biodiversity

UNEP/CBD/AHTEG-IB/1/1

Provisional agenda

UNEP/CBD/AHTEG-IB/1/6

Report of the Ad Hoc Technical Expert Group on Island Biodiversity

Document

Information for participants

Island summit on the margins of COP-11. Island Innovations: Celebrating Bright Spots, Leadership and Successes in Island Conservation and Sustainable Livelihoods, 16 October 2012, Hyderabad, India

Reference: SCBD/STTM/DC/OH/Sg/80758 (2012-123)
To: CBD National Focal Points and relevant organizations

Conservation and sustainable use of island ecosystems.

CONSERVATION AND SUSTAINABLE USE OF ISLAND ECOSYSTEMS. This side event will show the progress to date on protecting biodiversity on Mexican islands and the important advances on the related strategic planning. The event highlights major goals achieved by Mexico following a national approach in ...

Sustainable Ocean Initiative: An Integrated Approach for Achieving the Aichi Biodiversity Targets

This side-event will highlight the key results of the Meeting on Sustainable Ocean Initiative Programme Development, held 2-4 August 2011 in Kanazawa, Japan, consolidate ways and means to implement the vision and specific goals of the Sustainable Ocean Initiative, and articulate specific message ...

Lessons in implementation from the Programme of Work on Island Biodiversity

Side event illlustrating some of the successes and lessons in implementing the Programme of Work on Island Biodiversity which will be under review during SBSTTA 16.

Recommendation XVI/3

Island biodiversity: in-depth review of the implementation of the programme of work

Call for posters for the Sixteenth Meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical, and Technological Advice (SBSTTA-16)

Reference: SCBD/STTM/SBSTTA15/DC/JG/78811 (2012-020)
To: CBD National Focal Points, SBSTTA Focal Points, POWPA Focal Points and relevant organizations

Message by Ahmed Djoghlaf, CBD Executive Secretary on the occasion of World Wetlands Day “Wetlands and Tourism”, 2 February 2012

Online Discussion Forum for the In-depth Review of the Programme of Work on Island Biodiversity (21 November – 9 December 2011).

Reference: SCBD/STTM/OH/JG/78159 (2011-222)
To: CBD and SBSTTA Focal Points and relevant organizations

The purpose of this notification is to invite Parties, other Governments, and relevant organizations and experts to contribute their views and relevant information to an online discussion forum at http://www.cbd.int/island/forum/, which was established to facilitate input to the in-depth review ...

In-depth Review of Implementation of the Programme of Work on Island Biological Diversity: Second Reminder and Announcements

Reference: SCBD/STTM/OH/JG/74898 (2011-107)
To: CBD and SBSTTA National Focal Points and relevant organizations

Parties, other Governments and relevant organizations were invited to provide information for this review via notifications issued on 15 February 2011 and 28 April 2011 (http://www.cbd.int/doc/notifications/2011/ntf-2011-032-island-en.doc and http://www.cbd.int/doc/notifications/2011/ntf-2011-08 ...

REMINDER AND EXTENSION OF DEADLINE: Voluntary reports for the in-depth review of implementation of the programme of work on island biological diversity

Reference: SCBD/STTM/OH/JG/74898 (2011-086)
To: CBD and SBSTTA National Focal Points and relevant organizations

As you know, notification 2011-032 (sent on 15 February 2011, available at http://www.cbd.int/doc/notifications/2011/ntf-2011-032-island-en.doc) invited Parties, other Governments and relevant organizations to provide information for the in-depth review of implementation of the programme of wor ...

Voluntary reports for the in-depth review of implementation of the programme of work on island biological diversity

Reference: SCBD/STTM/OH/JG/74898 (2011-032)
To: CBD and SBSTTA Focal Points and relevant organizations

The purpose of this notification is to invite Parties and relevant organizations to provide information for the in-depth review of implementation of the programme of work on island biodiversity by the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA) at its 16th meeting, ...

The Micronesia Biosecurity Plan - An unprecedented cooperative effort to proactively analyze and prevent invasive species threats to the region of Micronesia.

The US Government, in conjunction with partners in Micronesia, is completing a comprehensive, science-based biosecurity plan to minimize invasive species threats to the region of Micronesia associated with the pending US Military build-up on Guam. The plan will include risk analyses of invasive ...

Asia-Pacific Biodiversity Observation Network (AP-BON)

Introduction of the progress and implementation plan of AP-BON as a regional network under GEO-BON, which aims to strengthen scientific basis for biodiversity observation through integration of data and information in Asia-Pacific region.

Ecosystem based management and adaption lessons from the Pacific

As part of the Pacific's celebration of the International Year of Biodiversity, Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS)-Fiji and its partners will launch an Ecosystem Based Management (EBM) guide for the EBM practitioners in the Tropical Western Pacific, which is based on lesson learned from four ye ...

Pacific SIDS: Value Island Biodiversity: Its Our Life

The side event aims at sharing success stories from around the Pacific region and to highlight some of the key challenges in the Pacific with regards to biodiversity conservation. There will be presentations by selected key note speakers as well as an exhibition and display of products from the ...

The Western Indian Ocean: Resilient ecosystems for sustainable livelihoods, adaptation, and human security

Discussion and presentations from countries and institutions in the Western Indian Ocean (islands of the Indian Ocean and coastal areas of East Africa) hosted by the Global island partnership. Will including the environmental and climate change needs and threats and how to address these through ...