Assuming that a simple drowning model is applicable to all islands facing future climate change and sea-level rise (SLR), the future existence of up to 12% of islands is said to be compromised – and therefore these should not be considered for active management and protection [1,2]. This includes tropical atolls and their low-lying islands. However, we reject the triage strategy elaborated by Courchamp et al. [1]. Evidence from geology, sedimentology, and oceanography, and from the ecology of invasive species, shows that island conservation, especially of low islands, should remain a priority.