Island-Ocean Connection Challenge 2025 Impact Report
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The Turtle And The Megapode
An ancient story from Ngerkeklau, Palau:
Once in the village of Ngetmel in Ngarchelong, a woman gave birth to a megapode bird and a turtle. Every day when she returned from tending her taro patch, her children had dug the soil and made a mess of her yard.
The turtle said to the megapode, “Maybe we should find a new home.”
The megapode said, “You have the ability to swim away, but what will I do?”
“You will hop on my back, and I will swim as we travel.”
The Island-Ocean Connection Challenge is more than one goal.
OUR COMMITMENT
40
Globally-significant island-ocean ecosystems
OUR TIMELINE
2030
To begin holistic restoration for all 40
island-ocean ecosystems
The goal of the Island-Ocean Connection Challenge is ambitious: to holistically restore 40 globally-significant island-ocean ecosystems from ridge to reef by 2030. But the IOCC has come to embody more than that one goal. As an international response to the convergence of traditional wisdom and emerging science, the IOCC represents a commitment to the ecological fact that everything is connected—and that healthy oceans and healthy islands are two sides of the same coin.
By connecting leaders in the environmental sphere, including governments, NGOs, scientific institutions, and local communities, the IOCC captures the full picture of what we stand to gain when we prioritize the holistic restoration of key ecosystems. Addressing the compounding crises of climate change, ocean degradation, invasive species, and biodiversity loss, IOCC projects are healing ecosystems around the world while building climate resilience and food security for island communities.
OUR PROGRESS
20
Island-Ocean ecosystems pledged to
the campaign to date — and counting!
With 20 projects across the globe, the IOCC is reconnecting the vital nutrient flows that interlink land and sea. As populations of seabirds rebound on islands, their nitrogen-rich guano enriches soil, helping native plants grow. These plants not only capture atmospheric carbon, but they also help prevent erosion via strong root systems, building climate resilience. And when nutrients from healthy terrestrial ecosystems wash into the near-shore environment, fish and coral get a big boost. Corals can grow four times faster, and fish biomass can increase by up to 52%!
These multiple benefits, along with the partnership structure that shapes our work, makes the IOCC unique in the world. The outsized impact of holistic restoration echoes the outsized influence that island-ocean ecosystems exert on our planet. Galvanizing action by funders, NGOs, and governments, the IOCC is already seeing positive outcomes. We’re proud to share the results of our work transforming not only island ecologies but also the way we humans work to protect them!
CORALS CAN GROW
4X
FASTER
FISH BIOMASS INCREASES BY
52%
The Outsized Benefits of
the IOCC
Big Wins
Hope For the Future
Island-Ocean Connection Challenge
By the Numbers
LORUM IPSOM
50%
The IOCC captures the full picture of what we stand to gain when we prioritize the holistic restoration of key ecosystems.
LORUM IPSOM
$104,725,416
The IOCC captures the full picture of what we stand to gain when we prioritize the holistic restoration of key ecosystems.
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And so it was.
The turtle and the megapode traveled down south until they came to the front of Aimeliik, where the megapode said to the turtle, “I will get off here.” She said to the turtle, “You continue your journey. But someday when you have children, make sure to bring them to where I am, so I can help take care of them.”
“Lorum ipsom dolor sit amet, consectetur, elit, sed do, tempor, ut labore et dolore ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip.”
— Dr. Penny Becker, CEO, Island Conservation
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Financials: Progress Has Been Made, More Support is Needed
2025 GOAL
$138,140,980
The IOCC captures the full picture of what we stand to gain when we prioritize the holistic restoration of key ecosystems.
$104,725,416
RAISED TO DATE
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— Dr. Penny Becker, CEO, Island Conservation
Today the megapode and the Hawksbill turtle nest in the same area, both incubating their eggs in the sand. From the Ebill Society’s work on Ngerkeklau Island, we observe the megapode digging the sand open, to allow the baby turtles to crawl out and down to the sea.
Story told by Ann Singeo, Executive Director of IOCC partner The Ebill Society.
A Decade of Island Resilience
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— Cameron Driver, VP of Conservation, Island Conservation
The goal of the Island-Ocean Connection Challenge is ambitious: to holistically restore 40 globally-significant island-ocean ecosystems from ridge to reef by 2030. But the IOCC has come to embody more than that one goal. As an international response to the convergence of traditional wisdom and emerging science, the IOCC represents a commitment to the ecological fact that everything is connected—and that healthy oceans and healthy islands are two sides of the same coin.
The goal of the Island-Ocean Connection Challenge is ambitious: to holistically restore 40 globally-significant island-ocean ecosystems from ridge to reef by 2030. But the IOCC has come to embody more than that one goal. As an international response to the convergence of traditional wisdom and emerging science, the IOCC represents a commitment to the ecological fact that everything is connected—and that healthy oceans and healthy islands are two sides of the same coin.
Science, Articles and Papers Also Have a Space
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Project Partners & Funders
• American Bird Conservancy
• BirdLife South Africa
• Charles Darwin Foundation
• Cookson Adventures
• Danny Faure Foundation
• David and Lucile Packard Foundation
• Ebiil Society (Palau)
• Global Island Partnership (GLISPA)
• Government of Chile
• Government of the Dominican Republic
• Government of Ecuador
• Government of the Marshall Islands
• Government of Palau
• Government of Panama
• Island Conservation
• The Katherine and Peter Dolan Family Foundation
• Leo Model Foundation
• Marisla Foundation
• The Mouse-Free Marion Project
• North Equity Foundation
• Ocean Finance Company
• Oceankind
• Rare
• Re:wild
• Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP)
• UC San Diego Scripps Institution of Oceanography
• Société d’Ornithologie de Polynésie (Manu)
• Sonsorol State, Palau
• Wanderlust Fund