The island of Poruma is a shrinking tropical paradise — battered by king tides and eaten by coastal erosion. Meet the locals fighting for survival, in more ways than one.

Climate change is lapping at the shores of Poruma, a tropical island in Australia’s Torres Strait. It’s a dot in the Pacific Ocean — just two kilometres long and 300 metres wide — that sits halfway between the northern tip of Australia and the south of Papua New Guinea.

This tiny landmass, also known as Coconut Island, is becoming smaller. King tides are battering its beaches, and coastal erosion is eating the island at both ends.

Moving isn’t an option for the locals. As First Nations people, they have a deep spiritual connection with the land and sea, and, for many, fishing is their source of income.

Global warming isn’t the only threat.

Christianity came to the Torres Strait in the late 1800s and it’s been embraced by Islanders. But when the locals of Poruma gained this faith, they lost parts of their culture and language. As former councillor Aunty Nora Pearson explains, ‘Christianity trimmed us’. Today, the island’s native tongue Kulkalgaw Ya is critically endangered.  

Fuelled by their Christian faith, and inspired by their ancestors’ stories of survival, the people of Poruma are ready to fight. Meet the locals battling to save their land, their language and their cultural traditions – before it’s too late.

Hear more fascinating programs in the Shifting Cultures series, a co-production between the BBC World Service and ABC RN.