Call for papers for a special issue of the Journal of Island and Marine Studies on ‘Vulnerability of islands to transboundary pollution’

Guest editors: U. P. K. Epa, Zainal Arifin, and Haibo Chen

Island countries (or regions) face the risk of transboundary contamination, which threatens species, coastal resources, habitats, and livelihoods, potentially leading to economic and food insecurity. Surrounded by the ocean, island countries confront difficulties regulating transboundary effects, which increases their vulnerability to a variety of pollutants. Transboundary pollution arises from uncontrolled urban and industrial growth, riverine and watershed disturbances, and other human activities such as mining, forestry, agriculture, and coastal development, affecting adjacent areas. There is a need for a global effort to discover potential sources and magnitudes of transboundary flow of pollutants, allowing governments to implement robust co-lateral and multilateral treaties.

In line with this theme, we welcome submissions on the following topics:

Transboundary pollution and coastal resource use
Coastal biodiversity in the face of looming transboundary pollution: current status and prospects
Transboundary aspects of river water pollution
National efforts to manage pollution across borders: principles, policy and practice
International coordination and collaboration in counteracting transboundary pollution
Environmental law and transboundary pollution
Enforcement of global policies to protect coastal communities

This special issue will be published in the Journal of Island and Marine Studies (JIMS) (http://islandandmarinestudies.press/), but individual papers will be published online once they complete the peer review and editorial process. JIMS is a web-based, freely downloadable, open access, peer reviewed journal that publishes papers advancing and critiquing the study of issues affecting or involving islands and seas.

For further information or if you are interested in submitting a paper, contact the special issue co-editors (see below for contact emails). Manuscripts should be between 5,000 and 15,000 words and must be prepared in accordance with the JIMS submission guidelines: http://islandandmarinestudies.press/guidelines-for-authors/.

Submissions of manuscripts will follow the following two steps: 1) all authors are requested to submit directly to guest editors. The guest editors will provide feedback, ask for revisions if necessary, and reject or recommend formal submission to JIMS; 2) articles recommended by guest editors are formally submitted to JIMS and undergo JIMS’s double-blind reviewing process. This will ensure articles submitted to JIMS have a higher acceptance rate.

All papers will be subject to double-blind peer review. Articles should be submitted electronically to *** jims.editoralboard@gmail.com *** and include four major sections: the cover letter, author biography, title page, structured abstract, research manuscript, references, etc. The title page should contain the title of the paper, the author(s) name, the institutional affiliation and keywords. Manuscripts should follow the JIMS style guide available on our website.

Finally, authors should enter the name of the special section ‘vulnerability of islands to transboundary pollution’ in the appropriate place in the submission form.

Contact the editors for more information:

U. P. K. Epa epa@kln.ac.lk

Zainal Arifin ain001@brin.go.id

Haibo Chen chenhaibo@nbu.edu.cn

Published Papers

This special issue is now open for submission.

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2026