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Showing 9 of 235 news items in Ocean & Biodiversity
Nooramunga Land and Sea buys private islands to save them from development
Ocean & BiodiversitySeptember 29, 2025

Nooramunga Land and Sea buys private islands to save them from development

Excerpt from abc.net.au Owning your own private island sounds like the remit of the extremely rich, but one environmental group has flipped this narrative on its head. For roughly the price of an inner-city apartment, not-for-profit group Nooramunga Land and Sea (NL&S) has purchased multiple small islands off the coast of Gippsland, with the sole aim of protecting the environments from development forever. NL&S said the cluster of saltmarsh islands in South Gippsland's Corner Inlet, with views of Wilsons Promontory National Park, could play a part in tackling carbon emissions, while providing habitat for endangered species of flora and fauna. And the team behind the acquisitions has plans to buy more land in the future.

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The island that banned hives: can honeybees actually harm nature?
Ocean & BiodiversitySeptember 24, 2025

The island that banned hives: can honeybees actually harm nature?

Photo credit: Giuseppe Nucci / The Guardian Excerpt from theguardian.com Off the coast of Tuscany is a tiny island in the shape of a crescent moon. An hour from mainland Italy, Giannutri has just two beaches for boats to dock. In summer, hundreds of tourists flock there, hiking to the red and white lighthouse on its southern tip before diving into the clear waters. In winter, its population dwindles to 10. The island’s rocky ridges are coated with thickets of rosemary and juniper, and in warmer months the air is sweetened by flowers and the gentle hum of bees. “Residents are people who like fishing, or being alone, or who have retired. Everyone has their story,” says Leonardo Dapporto, associate professor at the University of Florence. It was Giannutri’s isolation that drew scientists here. They were seeking a unique open-air laboratory to answer a question that has long intrigued ecologists: could honeybees be causing their wild bee cousins to decline? To answer this, they carried out a radical experiment. While Giannutri is too far from the mainland for honeybees to fly to it, 18 hives were set up on the island in 2018: a relatively contained, recently established population. Researchers got permission to shut the hives down, effectively removing most honeybees from the island.

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Bezos Earth Fund Invests $37.5M USD to Accelerate Pacific-Led Ocean Protection
Ocean & BiodiversitySeptember 24, 2025

Bezos Earth Fund Invests $37.5M USD to Accelerate Pacific-Led Ocean Protection

Exceprt from bezosearthfund.org A groundbreaking effort led by Pacific Island leaders to safeguard the ocean took a major step forward today, with the Bezos Earth Fund announcing $37.5 million USD in grants to support marine protection across 12 countries and territories. The funding advances implementation of national and regional plans, including the Pacific’s shared vision to sustainably manage 100 percent of its ocean and protect areas of high biodiversity and cultural significance. These efforts also contribute to the global goal of protecting 30 percent of the planet’s land and ocean by 2030. If fully realized, the region’s work would form the world’s largest coordinated network of marine protected areas. The announcement is part of the Bezos Earth Fund’s $100 million commitment to support Pacific Island nations and territories in safeguarding their ocean. This initial $37.5 million sets that vision in motion by funding the design of marine protected area networks, enforcement at sea, and long-term financing to ensure protections last. It advances “Unlocking Blue Pacific Prosperity" (UBPP), an initiative endorsed by Pacific leaders to sustainably manage 100 percent of their waters and protect at least 30 percent by 2030. “The Pacific isn’t just a beautiful backdrop, it’s a lifeline,” said Lauren Sánchez Bezos, Vice Chair of the Bezos Earth Fund. “Pacific Island nations and territories are setting the pace. We’re here to match that ambition and help turn it into protection at scale. We are so proud to be part of one of the boldest ocean protection efforts ever attempted.”

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New Island Emerges In Alaska As Glacier Rapidly Retreats, NASA Satellite Imagery Shows
Ocean & BiodiversitySeptember 16, 2025

New Island Emerges In Alaska As Glacier Rapidly Retreats, NASA Satellite Imagery Shows

Excerpt from orfonline.org Small Island Developing States (SIDS) share a unique bond with their ocean territory through their economy, community, and environment. With over 40 percent of the world’s population living within 100 kilometres of the coast, coastal communities are vital hubs for trade and livelihood generation, but often face the brunt of climate change. As many island nations turn towards the Blue Economy (BE) framework to accelerate their national development sustainably, SIDS must ensure their coastal communities are actively and meaningfully involved in decision-making, policy, and stewardship of the very marine resources they depend on. Community-led conservation efforts can be powerful drivers of both environmental stewardship and socio-economic benefits in SIDS. Local fishers in Barbados contributed to the design of a Maritime Management Area and helped secure the boundaries and management practices of their livelihood zone. Community-based marine conservation in Mauritius led to the protection of 50 hectares of coral reef habitat and 8 hectares of seagrass on the border of a fishing reserve, an initiative that has also attracted more visitors and commerce to the area. Scaling up these initiatives and linking them through regional and global networks can strengthen coastal community resilience.

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Conservationists Use Satellites and Geospatial AI to Guide Caribbean Coral Protections
Ocean & BiodiversitySeptember 10, 2025

Conservationists Use Satellites and Geospatial AI to Guide Caribbean Coral Protections

Excerpt from esri.com The Caribbean, a tapestry of island nations and developing economies, relies heavily on coral ecosystems. Corals in this region and worldwide are under duress, and now scientists are using an AI-powered 3D model—an environmental digital twin—to protect this vital resource. Vibrant reefs, teeming with exotic marine life, are the main draw for a $50 billion Caribbean tourism industry. These rich, delicate habitats also provide food security for the region’s 43 million people. Symbiotic mangroves protect roads, farms, marinas, and hotels against the battering of tropical storms strengthened each year by rising ocean surface temperatures.

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Building Resilient Blue Communities Through Social Enterprise
Ocean & BiodiversitySeptember 10, 2025

Building Resilient Blue Communities Through Social Enterprise

Excerpt from orfonline.org Small Island Developing States (SIDS) share a unique bond with their ocean territory through their economy, community, and environment. With over 40 percent of the world’s population living within 100 kilometres of the coast, coastal communities are vital hubs for trade and livelihood generation, but often face the brunt of climate change. As many island nations turn towards the Blue Economy (BE) framework to accelerate their national development sustainably, SIDS must ensure their coastal communities are actively and meaningfully involved in decision-making, policy, and stewardship of the very marine resources they depend on. Community-led conservation efforts can be powerful drivers of both environmental stewardship and socio-economic benefits in SIDS. Local fishers in Barbados contributed to the design of a Maritime Management Area and helped secure the boundaries and management practices of their livelihood zone. Community-based marine conservation in Mauritius led to the protection of 50 hectares of coral reef habitat and 8 hectares of seagrass on the border of a fishing reserve, an initiative that has also attracted more visitors and commerce to the area. Scaling up these initiatives and linking them through regional and global networks can strengthen coastal community resilience.

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Telling the story of the Atlantic's sargassum surge with 40 years of data
Ocean & BiodiversitySeptember 9, 2025

Telling the story of the Atlantic's sargassum surge with 40 years of data

Excerpt from phys.org Researchers at Florida Atlantic University's Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute have released a landmark review tracing four decades of changes in pelagic sargassum—free-floating brown seaweed that plays a vital role in the Atlantic Ocean ecosystem. Once thought to be primarily confined to the nutrient-poor waters of the Sargasso Sea, sargassum is now recognized as a rapidly growing and widely distributed marine organism, whose expansion across the Atlantic is closely linked to both natural processes and human-induced nutrient enrichment.

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Small islands offer big hope for conservation of endemic species, study shows
Ocean & BiodiversitySeptember 9, 2025

Small islands offer big hope for conservation of endemic species, study shows

Photo credit: news.mongabay.com Excerpt from news.mongabay.com Animals living on small islands are often thought to be more susceptible to extinction compared to those distributed across mainland land masses. Small population sizes, limited habitat availability, and genetic isolation can propel species into a downward spiral. However, new research from Indonesia’s biodiverse Wallacea region suggests that in areas facing intense anthropogenic disturbance, small islands can in fact provide crucial genetic and ecological refuges for rare mammals. The new study focuses on two forest-specialist mammals endemic to the island of Sulawesi and its smaller offshore islands: the anoa (Bubalus spp.), a type of dwarf buffalo; and the spectacularly tusked babirusa pig (Babyrousa spp.). Both mammals have suffered steep population declines in recent decades as logging, mining and agricultural expansion have replaced their forest habitats. Populations of anoa are classified as endangered on the IUCN Red List, while babirusa populations range from vulnerable to endangered. With their numbers thin on the ground, researchers often have trouble studying them.

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Restoring Nu‘utele Island, Samoa: Building Climate Resilience and Reviving Biodiversity
Ocean & BiodiversityAugust 26, 2025

Restoring Nu‘utele Island, Samoa: Building Climate Resilience and Reviving Biodiversity

Excerpt from islandconservation.org In the heart of Samoa, a powerful story of collaboration is unfolding, bringing together communities, governments, and conservation experts to protect one of the Pacific’s ecological treasures: Nu‘utele Island. Island Conservation, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MNRE), BirdLife International, and the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), under the Pacific Regional Invasive Species Management Support Service (PRISMSS), has launched a bold restoration initiative to rebuild the natural systems that sustain life on and around the island. Harmful, destructive feral pigs and invasive rats pose a serious threat to native wildlife—especially seabirds, whose nesting grounds have been disrupted for decades. By removing these invasive species, the project aims to restore and protect native seabirds, the island’s near-pristine forest, and surrounding coral reef ecosystems, creating a ripple effect of ecological recovery. Healthy seabird populations play a vital role in nutrient cycling, enriching the soil and feeding nearby reefs. With invasive species gone, native plants and animals can return, seabirds can safely nest again, and the flow of nutrients from ocean to land can resume—boosting fish populations and coral resilience.

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