Bringing together Traditional Owners, researchers, island managers, conservation practitioners, government agencies and community organisations from across Australia.
About the Island Arks Symposia
The Island Arks Symposia provide a national forum for people working across Australia’s offshore islands to share knowledge, build partnerships and strengthen conservation outcomes.
These symposia provide a unique platform for building networks and partnerships that address critical issues facing islands, including cultural heritage management, terrestrial and marine biodiversity conservation, and inclusive, collaborative decision-making that advances scientific knowledge and sustainable development in island contexts. Since the inaugural meeting in 2009 on the Great Barrier Reef, the Island Arks Symposia have grown considerably and to include offshore islands from around Australia, and representatives from across Oceania and neighbouring countries.
Symposia may include presentations, workshops, field visits, panel discussions, cultural activities and opportunities for informal collaboration.
Symposia are managed by a local committee and supported by a national committee with prior experience hosting Island Arks. If your organisation is interested in hosting this series, get in touch.
Upcoming event
Norfolk Island
30 November – 2 December 2026
Ridge to Reef: Sustaining Biodiversity, Culture and Connection
Past events
The eighth biennial Island Arks Symposium (VIII) was hosted by the Kangaroo Island Landscape Board from August 26 to 29, 2024, in Kingscote, Kangaroo Island, South Australia. The event brought together 131 delegates from 24 islands across the Asia-Pacific region to focus on island-based conservation, ecological restoration, and pest eradication.
View symposium resources →Held at the Penguin Parade Visitor Centre, the event focused on the theme "Partnering for land, sea and coast," bringing together regional experts to discuss island biosecurity, marine threats, and conservation.
View symposium resources →The biennial event brought together conservation ecologists, island managers, and eco-tourism operators to share knowledge and build partnerships for protecting island ecosystems.
View symposium resources →This high-level conservation meeting brought together island managers, scientists, and eco-tourism operators to discuss invasive species management, climate resilience, and restoration strategies for fragile island ecosystems across the Pacific and Australia.
View symposium resources →This Symposium brought together land managers, researchers, and conservationists to focus on small-island biodiversity, new advances in pest control and eradication, conservation tourism, and protecting endangered species like the Norfolk Island Green Parrot.
View symposium resources →The symposium brought together scientists, land managers, and conservationists to discuss island ecosystem protection, featuring specialized field trips including options like Maria Island.
View related resources →This national conference was held at University House, Canberra, Australia. the 2012 Island Arks Symposium II in Canberra focused primarily on the "State of the Islands" reports and foundational frameworks for national biosecurity initiatives.
View symposium resources →The inaugural Island Arks Symposium (Symposium I) was held in December 2009 at the Daydream Island Resort in the Whitsunday Islands, Queensland. It marked Australia's inaugural national conference on island ecosystem management, convening experts to address biodiversity and conservation on offshore islands. The 2009 event was conceptualised to address a major gap in conservation policy—specifically, that islands were frequently being managed using mainland ecological strategies that failed to account for unique insular vulnerabilities. The core achievement of the Daydream Island gathering was the creation of an informal community of practice known as the Islands Alliance. This network standardized how data on threatened species translocations and sea-country management is shared between states. Daydream Island established the mandatory structural requirement that all future symposia must give equal weight to Western conservation science and First Nations stewardship, a model still used today.
View related resources →Participate
Contact the organisers about presentations, partnerships, sponsorship, resources or attendance.