Disaster recovery is much harder on isolated islands, and people may migrate away if it’s too slow. Support from Jamaicans in the US, UK and Canada to rebuild for a better future can help.
Articles on Islands
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The ruling stems from the harm island nations are suffering as sea level rises, and it opens a door for future claims for reparations. But getting to that point isn’t so simple.
Squamellaria plants grow special structures to host the ants they symbiotically rely on for nutrients. Distinct compartments help different ant colonies live peacefully side by side.
Stories of how the data was collected were fascinating. Some people camped on islands for weeks. Some scaled cliffs or jumped from helicopters onto remote islands.
Madagascar tops the list globally in terms of the percentage of plant species endemic to a single island.
On an island off South Australia, a colony of little penguins is fighting to survive. Footage gathered by scientists reveals what the birds get up to when humans aren’t watching.
Islands cover just 5.3% of the world’s land area, but contribute disproportionately to global biodiversity, according to research published in Nature.
Wherever humans set foot, they bring with them invasive exotic species. Some animals and plants that are particularly useful to humans are now found all around the globe.
Climate and weather play a large role in people’s leisure travel decisions.
An endangered rodent and a thorny, impenetrable weed doesn’t sound like a good match. But stick-nest rats have made homes out of African boxthorn
Water is everywhere, but freshwater supplies are limited on many Caribbean islands. Rising demand and climate change are worsening water shortages for the people who live here.
A flurry of island-building during the last two decades has furnished the rich with new properties.
Projections for Hawaii’s climate future are raising concerns about fire risk, ecosystems and freshwater supplies for homes and agriculture.
Wildfires on Maui are a crippling blow to the island’s tourism industry, which generates half of its jobs. But New Orleans and Kauai show that comebacks are possible.
There are arguments over the future of red deer on the Scottish island of South Uist but archaeological expertise can help people live alongside wild animals.
In the years since the Supreme Court rejected Kivalina’s appeal on May 20, 2013, the community’s search and rescue team has faced increasing climate disasters: ‘We just can’t adapt this fast.’
Dozens of species have been coaxed back from oblivion, with fenced havens, conserved habitat, islands and feral predator control vital.
At least 115 of Indonesia’s islands will be underwater due to a combination of sea level rise and land subsidence. What do these estimates mean to Indonesia’s future as an archipelagic state?
Island states are often dependent on expensive imported fossil fuels for their power. Ocean thermal energy conversion plants could provide constant power – if technical issues can be overcome.
If all, or even most, offspring of the survivors are shy, we could be facing an introduced pest population that is incredibly difficult to remove.
Top contributors
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Lecturer in Plant Ecology, Macquarie University
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Professor, Unit Leader, North Carolina State University
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Professor of Conservation and Sustainable Livelihoods, Charles Darwin University
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Professor of Geosciences, UMass Amherst
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Research Professor of Hospitality and Tourism and Director, International Tourism Research Institute, University of South Carolina
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Adjunct associate in freshwater fisheries ecology and management, University of Canberra
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Professor, North Carolina State University
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Professor of Conservation Biology, Charles Darwin University
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Professor in Bioarchaeology, Head of Archaeology and Conservation, Cardiff University
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PhD candidate, Australian National University
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Professor of Conservation Biology, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney
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Senior Lecturer in Sustainable Energy Engineering, Nottingham Trent University
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Assistant Professor of Marine and Environmental Affairs and American Indian Studies, University of Washington
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Senior Lecturer in Atmospheric Science, The University of Melbourne