UNEP-WCMC Launches Global Island Database
10 May 2010: The UN Environment Programme-World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) launched the Global Island Database (GID) during the small island developing States (SIDS) Day held during the 18th session of the UN Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) in New York, US, on 10 May 2010. The GID reflects five of the themes important for islands, as identified by the Island Biodiversity Programme of Work (IBPoW) of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), namely biodiversity, climate change, invasive species, pollution and sustainability.
The GID aims to boost the sustainable management of islands by identifying and bringing together existing sources of data and information relevant to island systems, and presenting new analyses to aid resource managers and decision-making at the island, national, regional and global levels. In relation to climate change, it examines: ocean acidification; sea level rise; and increased sea temperature. [UNEP Press Release] [Global Island Database]