November 2007, id21 insights, Issue #70

The island advantage

Practices for prospering in isolation

Island communities display rich and diverse cultures, languages, societies, histories, governance forms and livelihoods. Yet island characteristics such as isolation, restricted land area and limited domestic land-based resources bring about significant environmental and social challenges. The same characteristics also yield opportunities for tackling these challenges effectively.

The Faroese fishing town of Klaskvík. A resource dependent fisheries economy usually has settlement patterns of small and scattered coastal villages. See Islands on the margins. Photo credits: Ilan Kelman, 2003

Other articles in this issue:

What does sustainable tourism mean for islands?

Deliberate diversification of the economy from low-value agriculture to high-value international tourism (sometimes in combination with off-shore banking) has helped many small islands to prosper.

Islands on the margins

Coping with global restructuring

Technological and institutional modernisation have put considerable pressures on Nordic Atlantic island economies such as Greenland, Åland and the Faroe Islands.

Islands as World Heritage Sites

No less than 95 out of 851 UNESCO World Heritage Sites are distinctively insular.

Island minorities

The Chinese in the Solomon Islands

The Solomon Islands has been marred by ethnic tensions and urban riots since the late 1990s. The Regional Australian Mission to these islands is currently attempting to maintain law and order. The arrival of new Asian (predominantly mainland Chinese) migrants has further complicated development.

Autonomy without independence

Islands around the world display wide-ranging levels of political, cultural and economic autonomy. At one end is full independence and at the other total assimilation within a governing 'parent' state. Between these opposites lie an increasing number of islands that seek autonomy without independence.

Routes to island disaster resilience

Disasters are a significant feature of life for many small island developing states. Vulnerability indices commonly include a high percentage of small island developing states among countries considered most disaster prone.

Island power

Pooling technical and political resources

Island jurisdictions – sovereign and non-sovereign – with relatively small populations, can find it challenging to carry out all their international responsibilities effectively.

Useful web links

PDF version

What do you think?

Please write and tell us your views about the issues raised in id21 insights. And what topics would you like to read about? Email insights@ids.ac.uk with your ideas.

Views expressed on these pages are not necessarily those of DFID, IDS, id21 or other contributing institutions. Copyright remains with the original authors but (unless stated otherwise) any article may be copied or quoted without restriction, provided both source (id21, insights) and authors are properly acknowledged and informed. Copyright © 2006 id21. All rights reserved.