Blown away: cyclone threats to tropical island biodiversity in a changing climate

September 17, 2026

Amy C. Steel, Jennifer L. Lavers

Islands are key to global biodiversity, yet extreme weather events cause significant mortality of many island species. Using field and satellite data, we describe two cases where increasing cyclone activity has significantly reduced habitat availability and resulted in mortality on low-lying tropical islands. We thus advocate for considering future cyclone activity and subsequent ecological recovery in developing suitable adaptation actions, especially in the context of translocation of endangered populations.