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    News

    Curated stories and analysis from islands and sustainability leaders worldwide.

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    Showing 9 of 239 news items in Ocean & Biodiversity
    Small island states should lead, not just participate, in ocean-related scientific research
    Ocean & BiodiversityJune 16, 2025

    Small island states should lead, not just participate, in ocean-related scientific research

    **PHOTO:** AFP via The Straits Times ([straitstimes.com](https://cassette.sphdigital.com.sg/image/straitstimes/bc6dd7a0b1c3c2231bcec43e1b407ef3a79510a8ca7b11c485a6e97069a40883?w=860)) NICE, France – Small island developing states have been the subjects of ocean research for too long, and should start to lead – not just participate in – scientific research that would help them better understand the marine environments they depend on. Though they are the custodians of 30 per cent of the ocean under national jurisdictions, small island states lead just 0.3 per cent of UN-endorsed decade of action projects on ocean health, said Singapore’s Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan on June 9. Ocean decade actions are science-based programmes, projects or activities endorsed by the UN to improve ocean health. “Small island developing states have been the subjects of ocean research for too long, the observation points in data sets, the case studies in reports, and the vulnerable communities in impact assessments,” Dr Balakrishnan said on the first day of the [UN Ocean Conference](https://www.straitstimes.com/world/world-leaders-head-to-france-for-un-summit-on-ocean-threats) in Nice, France.

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    Oceans: What if France’s future lay in its overseas territories?
    Ocean & BiodiversityJune 16, 2025

    Oceans: What if France’s future lay in its overseas territories?

    The figures are well-known, but it’s worth recalling them. Thanks to its overseas territories, France today possesses the world’s second-largest exclusive economic zone (EEZ) behind the United States and ahead of Australia, with nearly 11 million km². A vast expanse that extends across all oceans. In the Atlantic with the Antilles, French Guiana and Saint-Pierre-and-Miquelon, in the Indian Ocean with Réunion, Mayotte and the Scattered Islands, in the Pacific with New Caledonia, Polynesia, and Wallis and Futuna. France is also present in Antarctica with the TAAF, the French Southern and Antarctic Territories (Crozet archipelago, Kerguelen, Amsterdam and Saint-Paul). This presence allows France to be the only nation in the world to have territories in all major oceans, except the Arctic. The United Kingdom also possesses several overseas territories such as Bermuda, Gibraltar or the Falklands, but its presence is not as extensive across all oceans. The United States has a strong presence in the Pacific with notably Hawai’i and American Samoa, in the Atlantic with Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, but not in the Indian Ocean. This presence in the three major oceans of the planet gives France a strategic role in international negotiations on the exploitation of marine resources, biodiversity, and the fight against piracy and illegal fishing. “We must fully grasp the importance of this maritime domain. First is the United States, second Australia, but we clearly understand that the United States and Australia achieve this through the size of their mainland territories, which is absolutely not the case for our country. Exactly 96% of France’s maritime domain relies on its overseas territories. And therefore, the overseas territories are France’s great opportunity, and also that of the European Union. But this incredible potential only wears out if we use it,” indicates Christian Buchet, historian and geopolitician, specialist in seas and oceans.

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    Indonesian women sustain seaweed traditions in a changing climate
    Ocean & BiodiversityJune 16, 2025

    Indonesian women sustain seaweed traditions in a changing climate

    NUSA PENIDA, Indonesia — Storm clouds loom overhead as Nyoman Mitri peers out at rows of seaweed lines stretching across the shallow tidal waters of Nusa Penida. Her weathered hands move with practiced ease as she secures a strand of green seaweed to a rope. “It never used to be like this,” she says. “It’s only been the last 10 years or so that rain has begun to seriously damage the seaweed.” Ibu Mitri, or Mrs. Mitri, as she’s known by her community, is sharing her seaweed cultivation techniques with a few tourists. Together, they sort through fresh seaweed, discarding damaged strands and carefully tying healthy green ones onto lengths of rope, preparing them to be returned to the sea and fastened to wooden posts, where they’ll continue growing until the next harvest. As she ties hundreds of strands of seaweed back onto the lines, lulled into a methodical rhythm, she begins to share her concerns: the changing climate, increasing development, and the growing unreliability of each harvest. With a shy smile, she speaks of how increased rainfall and more frequent storms have threatened traditions once guided by the seasons, not by storms.

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    Japan’s ‘Ama’ divers fight to keep their heritage alive
    Ocean & BiodiversityJune 10, 2025

    Japan’s ‘Ama’ divers fight to keep their heritage alive

    In a coastal hut in Mie Prefecture, a charcoal fire burns at the center as ama — “sea woman” in Japanese, who make a living by free-diving for seafood — warm their hands, or grill fresh catch for curious visitors. Outside, Pacific waves break gently along the rocky shore of Shima City. For years, this ocean has been the workplace, provider, and spiritual companion for Machiyo Yamashita and Kaori Arai. “We can’t be afraid because it’s our own job,” said the 75-year-old Yamashita, who has been diving for 50 years. “I have to be strong.”

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    Turning the tide: enhancing ocean equity for Small Island Developing States
    Ocean & BiodiversityJune 10, 2025

    Turning the tide: enhancing ocean equity for Small Island Developing States

    Small Island Developing States (SIDS) depend heavily on the ocean for their livelihoods, economies and climate resilience. Yet they face stark and growing inequities in how ocean resources are accessed, governed and financed. A new briefing paper from ODI Global’s Resilient and Sustainable Islands Initiative (RESI) calls for bold action to place equity at the heart of the international oceans agenda – and ensure SIDS can thrive as stewards of the sea. Despite their size, SIDS are ocean giants — custodians of vast Exclusive Economic Zones and biodiversity-rich waters. But when it comes to reaping the benefits of the blue economy, they face barriers to fully participating in and benefiting from marine innovation and investment. Countries with greater financial and technical capacity are typically better positioned to access these opportunities, while SIDS remain particularly vulnerable to ocean-related risks such as pollution, overexploitation and climate change.

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    UNOC – The Catch: Sustainable fisheries in oceania and beyond
    Ocean & BiodiversityJune 10, 2025

    UNOC – The Catch: Sustainable fisheries in oceania and beyond

    Foreign Policy‘s hit fisheries podcast The Catch is headed to the United Nations Ocean Conference! Join us for a special live taping, in partnership with the Walton Family Foundation and Ocean Conservancy, to kick off our upcoming season on tuna in the Pacific Islands. Local fisheries around the world are under threat from a number of sources, including IUU fishing, climate change, and weak global governance that leaves local fishers vulnerable to multinational fleets. These dangers jeopardize both local economies and the biodiversity of the ocean. At the epicenter of these emerging threats is Oceania, where healthy fisheries are vital to the economies of its small Pacific Island nations.

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    For many island species, the next tropical cyclone may be their last
    Ocean & BiodiversityJune 10, 2025

    For many island species, the next tropical cyclone may be their last

    **Simon Valle**, Bangor University and **David Jorge Pereira**, University of Birmingham When a major cyclone tears through an island nation, all efforts rightly focus on saving human lives and restoring livelihoods. However, these storms have permanent consequences for other species that are often forgotten. As the world continues to heat, cyclones are expected to become [more frequent, intense and unpredictable](https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg1/chapter/chapter-11/). The International Union of Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the global authority on biodiversity, lists storms as one factor threatening species. But just how much of a threat is still poorly understood.

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    UNOC3: Azores bring to Nice the largest protected maritime zone in the North Atlantic
    Ocean & BiodiversityJune 10, 2025

    UNOC3: Azores bring to Nice the largest protected maritime zone in the North Atlantic

    From June 9-13, the third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3) is taking place in Nice, France. Political leaders from around the world, along with scientists, civil society organisations, and the private sector are gathering to discuss solutions for ocean preservation and sustainability. Located in the North Atlantic, the Azores archipelago plays a notable role: it has one of the largest Exclusive Economic Zones in Europe and has been strengthening its position as a model of commitment to marine conservation. A prime example of this is the Blue Azores program, an initiative of the Regional Government of the Azores, in partnership with the Oceano Azul Foundation and the international organisation Waitt Institute, as Luís Bernardo Brito e Abreu, Advisor to the President of the Government of the Azores and Coordinator of the Blue Azores Program, explained to RFI’s reporting team.

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    Four new snake species discovered in Papua New Guinea
    Ocean & BiodiversityJune 10, 2025

    Four new snake species discovered in Papua New Guinea

    Photo Credit: Photo by Fred Kraus for [Mongabay.](https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2025/06/05233410/The-Dendrelaphis-melanarkys-or-black-net-tree-snake-Fred-Kraus.jpg) Herpetology has long navigated through tangled terrain in Papua New Guinea, where species mislabeling and sparse sampling have clouded scientific understanding. But a recent revision has brought rare clarity—and four unexpected discoveries, [reports Akhyari Hananto](https://mongabay.co.id/2025/05/03/ilmuwan-temukan-spesies-ular-baru-yang-membelit-elang-hidup-hidup/) for Mongabay-Indonesia. In April 2025, Fred Kraus of the University of Michigan published [a study inZootaxa](https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/article304177086.html) identifying four new tree snakes in the genus Dendrelaphis, each endemic to a different island in the Louisiade and Woodlark archipelagos in PNG’s Milne Bay.

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