World Island Networks
WORLD ISLAND NETWORKS
SMILO has been identifying island networks and organisations around the globe that help protect the environment or cultural heritage of islands. This mapping work enables us to analyse their roles, actions, scope and difficulties, and also to pinpoint opportunities for the different players to cooperate. This initiative aims to start answering the need to know who does what and where, in order to identify geographical or thematical gaps of such organisms, to encourage new partnerships, ultimately offering better answers to islands’ needs.
THE MAPPING
To be referenced in the mapping, a network or organisation must meet the following criteria:
- works on more than one island in the country: this includes organisations that work on several islands within one region of a country
- currently active: it can be public or private; it may or may not have an official status (public institutions, non-governmental organisations, academic or research institutions, etc.)
- designed to last over time: this excludes programmes with a given, limited lifespan
- helps protect island environments or heritage
- Different from a financial backer : a separate study on organisations that fund projects on islands is needed
We conducted a first round of surveys and collected 32 initial answers that we analysed in a Intermediary Report has been published in July 2021.
Since then, we conducted a second round of surveys, with updated questions. Over 40 new responses were submitted, from organisations we contacted and beyond. This new data helped us better understand how we can build more efficient collaboration among island networks and organisations. We managed to identify missing information, such as the size of island organisations and networks (budget ranges, number of employees, etc.), the type of funding, and detailed strategic objectives ranked by priority. In total, 122 island networks and organisations have been identified of which 72 have completed our survey. To discover more, read our 2022 report. A catalogue of all the organisations that completed our survey is also available here.
We hope that the present mapping will be a small step towards the transformational change we all wish for. Let us work together to rebuild together smarter and prove that part of the solution can come from islands.
The project is supported by GLISPA, Conservatoire du littoral, Advanced Conservation Strategies, Precovery Labs, The Ocean Foundation, Green Cross France and Territories, PIM Initiatives and Ico Solutions.
Please do not hesitate to contact us by email If you have any questions about the initiative, at :
THE EVENTS
We organised 3 virtual meetings on September 9, 2021, and on November 19 and December 1, 2020. The focus on different regions of the world brought together more than 400 participants of 70 different nationalities, who were able to discover the presentations of our 30 panellists. From representatives of public authorities, to donors, academics and civil society organisations, they all highlighted the important role of island networks and organisations for the protection of the natural and cultural heritage of islands.
World Island Networks – 3rd SESSION – September 9, 2021
The third WIN session brought together international networks and organisations from around the world that contribute to the preservation of the islands’ environment and heritage. SMILO carried out a mapping of these networks in order to analyse their role and identify opportunities for cooperation between these stakeholders. The intermediate results were presented by SMILO alongside its partners, and a panel discussion with international institutions and funders followed the presentation.
More information about the event is available here. You can watch the recording of the all session on our YouTube channel.
World Island Networks – 2nd SESSION – December 1, 2020
The second WIN session was dedicated to the Asia-Pacific region. Information about the speakers is available on the event page. You can watch the recording of the whole session on our Youtube channel.
World Island Networks – 1st Session – November 19, 2020
The first session was dedicated to Europe, Africa, the Caribbean and the Americas. All the information about the speakers is available on the event page. Watch the whole session on our Youtube channel.
These events were organised in partnership with the Global Islands Partnership (GLISPA), sponsored by the French Facility for Global Environment (FFEM) and supported by the Conservatoire du littoral, Green Cross France et Territoires, Island Conservation, PIM Initiative for the Small Islands of the Mediterranean, Precovery Labs. They took place within the framework of ICO Solutions.
These events were sponsored by:
