A scientific article warns of the vulnerability of European islands to climate change and argues for the need for public policies specifically tailored to insular contexts. Researcher Artur Freire Gil, from the Institute of Volcanology and Risk Assessment (IVAR) at the University of the Azores, is part of the international research team that authored the scientific article “The land use–climate change–biodiversity nexus in the perceptions of European islands stakeholders.” The study offers an integrated analysis of the environmental, social, and economic challenges facing European islands in the context of rapid global change.

Based on questionnaires administered to stakeholders across 21 islands, the study reveals that temperature variation and deforestation are perceived as the most critical factors, underscoring the need for targeted public policies and strategies adapted to insular realities.

Artur Freire Gil, a researcher at IVAR of the University of the Azores, was part of the international team responsible for the article entitled “The land use–climate change–biodiversity nexus in the perceptions of European islands stakeholders.” This research analyzes, in an integrated manner, the main environmental, social, and economic challenges confronting European islands in a context marked by rapid and profound global transformations, resulting from the intensification of climate change, land-use changes, and increasing human pressure on ecosystems.

According to the study, in order to promote effective climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies, it is essential to understand the perspectives, perceptions, and knowledge gaps of stakeholders—that is, all interested parties, including individuals, groups, or organizations that have an interest in, influence over, or are directly affected by decisions and outcomes related to public policies, projects, or economic activities. This understanding becomes particularly relevant when considering actors operating in functions and sectors that are directly or indirectly affected by climate change and land-use change.

To this end, the study was based on questionnaires administered to a large number of participants across 21 European islands or island groups. This approach made it possible to gather local perceptions of ongoing environmental transformations and their impacts on ecosystem services (or environmental services), defined as the benefits that nature provides to human societies and which are indispensable to their survival, being closely linked to quality of life and human well-being.

The perspectives analyzed included climatic variables such as temperature, precipitation, humidity, the occurrence of extreme events, and wind, as well as land-use changes, namely deforestation, coastal degradation, habitat protection, the installation of renewable energy infrastructure, wetland preservation, and other relevant variables. Social and economic dimensions were also considered, including the spread of invasive species, water or energy scarcity, infrastructure problems, financial constraints, and austerity measures, reflecting the high degree of complexity and interdependence among insular systems.

The collected data were analyzed using machine-learning techniques—computational systems that train models on large datasets—thereby enabling quantification of the relative importance of each variable in participants’ perceptions of environmental impacts.

According to the study’s results, the primary characteristic associated with climate change is temperature variation, whereas deforestation is the most relevant factor in land-use change. The findings also indicate that participants tend to perceive the impacts of climate change on ecosystem services as predominantly negative, with the destruction of natural habitats and biodiversity loss identified as the most critical drivers.

The study emphasizes that although islands cover only a small fraction of Earth’s surface, they “harbor more than one third of global biodiversity,” making them particularly vulnerable to climate change, habitat loss, and increasing human pressure. In this regard, the research highlights that “European islands face unique challenges with respect to ecosystem services, including vulnerability to climate change, habitat loss, pollution, and the introduction of invasive species.”

Another central issue addressed concerns the pressure exerted by tourism and growing energy demands. The article notes that energy-related problems, ranging from energy scarcity to challenges associated with the installation of wind and solar power infrastructures, rank among the main risks arising from climate change and land-use change. Despite their crucial role in the energy transition and in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, these infrastructures can contribute to habitat fragmentation and biodiversity loss by occupying sensitive agricultural or natural areas.

The study also highlights the importance of the social dimension in analyzing environmental impacts. According to the authors, “perception is a subjective assessment of a concept or sensation, influenced by interests, life experiences, and the surrounding environment.” It can vary significantly between different islands and among distinct social groups. For this reason, they argue that “an interdisciplinary approach integrating social, climatic, environmental, and biological sciences is required” to capture the complexity of the issues and the diversity of existing perspectives.

The researchers state that, “to the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate in an integrated manner the interaction between climate change, land-use change, biodiversity, and stakeholders’ opinions on islands,” thereby underscoring the scientific and policy relevance of the work developed in the European context.

The article concludes that issues related to water and energy, as well as the challenges associated with renewable energy, pose serious concerns for island stakeholders and require appropriate management measures and specific public policies to address them. The authors further argue that “specific European policies for islands may be necessary,” emphasizing the need to integrate climatic, environmental, social, and economic factors into the design of effective and sustainable adaptation and mitigation strategies.

José Henrique Andrade is a journalist for Correio dos Açores-Naalino Viveiros, director

Translated into English as a community outreach program by the Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute (PBBI) and the Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures Department (MCLL), in collaboration with Bruma Publication and ADMA (Azores-Diaspora Media Alliance) at California State University, Fresno. PBBI thanks Luso Financial for sponsoring NOVIDADES.