Report of the joint committee to study the impact of sea level rise on the islands and frame policy and measures to protect these islands dated October 10, 2023. The report was in compliance with the National Green Tribunal order, July 11, 2023. The report recommended undertaking field-based topographic surveys …
A Path to Prosperity highlights the role of islands in global efforts against climate change. The third edition of this compilation from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) marks the occasion of the United Nations climate conference, COP22, in November 2016. Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are rich in renewable …
The majority of naturally occurring freshwater on small islands is groundwater, which is primarily recharged by precipitation. Recharge rates are therefore likely to be impacted by climate change. Freshwater resources on small islands are particularly vulnerable to climate change because they are limited in size and easily compromised. Here we …
He's over 100 years old, but his sex life is the stuff of legend. Diego the Tortoise is quite the ladies' man, and his exploits have helped save his species from extinction. Diego, a Galapagos giant tortoise, has fathered an estimated 800 offspring, almost single-handedly rebuilding the species' population on …
An earthquake of magnitude 7.4 struck 975 km (606 miles) northwest of Ascension Island in the Atlantic Ocean on Monday, the United States Geological Survey (USGS )reported. There was no immediate warning of any tsunami triggered by the quake, which occurred at a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles), the …
Global dam study: reservoir islands shouldn’t be counted as conservation areas by developers. Island isolation inevitably leads to extinctions, ecosystem instability. Hydropower is being pushed hard in the Americas, Africa, Asia and Europe by dam developers who say it is an environmentally friendly form of alternative energy, but a recent …
Scientists say their research shows that two subspecies of songbirds found only on the Galápagos Islands should be elevated to full species status. There’s one big caveat, however: One of the two newly minted species may already be extinct. The researchers used molecular data from samples of museum specimens housed …
A small island, a short boat trip from Timor-Leste’s capital, Dili, appears to have the most biodiverse waters anywhere in the world. There is a push for the site to be protected with a view to developing an ecotourism industry for the country’s struggling economy. Atauro Island sits just 24km …
A weightlifter who lost his family's house in a cyclone danced off stage at the Rio Olympics on Tuesday to raise awareness of the threat climate change poses to his remote Pacific nation David Katoatau got more cheers than any other lifter, including a Brazilian, throughout the men’s 105kg B …
The remote Caribbean island of Redonda, part of Antigua and Barbuda, is home to numerous species of plants and animals found nowhere else on earth. It is also home to invasive black rats and non-native goats that are wiping out the island’s native, rare wildlife, conservationists say. To help the …
The world’s largest oil, coal, cement and mining companies have been given 45 days to respond to a complaint that their greenhouse gas emissions have violated the human rights of millions of people living in the Phillippines. In a potential landmark legal case, the Commission on Human Rights of the …
MANILA—Protected by their country’s navy, Chinese fishing boats devastated mile upon mile of pristine coral in Philippine waters, using their propellers as blades to hack out giant clams buried in the reefs. Other threatened species that fell prey to Chinese poaching on an industrial scale, with official connivance: turtles, sharks, …
China has set up a 15 million yuan ($2.25 million) environmental protection fund for the South China Sea having already spent double that in the past four years, the Xinhua state news agency said on Monday. The Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague ruled this month that China did …
This paper presents the findings from a study aimed at understanding whether video games (or serious games) can be effective in enhancing volcanic hazard education and communication. Using the eastern Caribbean island of St. Vincent, we have developed a video game – St. Vincent's Volcano – for use in existing …
In this scary time of global species extinctions and loss of biodiversity below “safe” levels, The Field Museum recently announced some good news: Luzon Island, an island the size of the Indiana in the Philippines, holds the greatest concentration of mammals. The pressing question now is will we be able …
According to a study published in the journal Frontiers of Biogeography, researchers discovered a plethora of 56 new mammal species, excluding bats, in Luzon, 52 of which are endemic. The reason behind Luzon's rich diversity is the island's topography. Science Daily notes that spanning about 40,000 square miles, Luzon is …
Australia’s third-biggest island could combine wind, solar, PV and battery storage to fuel own electricity needs – and set a blueprint for the rest of the country Kangaroo Island is one of the great icons of Australian tourism. As Andrew Boardman, the chief executive of the Kangaroo Island council, says: …
The last two remaining wild mountain chicken frogs living on Montserrat have been reunited, and are hoped to begin breeding on the Caribbean island for the first time since 2009. Last month, a project took the last female and relocated her into the territory of the remaining male as part …
Majuli, a river island within the two arms of the mighty Brahmaputra river, is a site having extreme historical and cultural importance, and warrants immediate exposure to the scientific community. The island faces an acute erosion problem as no permanent anti-erosion measures based on proper geohydrological models have been adopted …
Majuli, one of the largest inhabited river islands in the world, is under serious threat due to large-scale bank erosion by the Brahmaputra River. There is urgent need to preserve this socio-culturally rich island of over 0.2 million people. Erosions have been shrinking its landmass significantly and thereby causing enormous …
Majuli, the largest inhabited river island bounded by the river Subansiri to the north and mighty Brahmaputra River to the south, is one of the subdivisions of the Jorhat district, Assam. Erosion of the island is a continuous process since historical times and posses a significant concern. The present approach …
