Annual Report on Islands and Sustainable Development 2022: Case Studies

Abstract

The first edition of the Annual Report on Islands and Sustainable Development 2022, compiles nine (9) powerful case studies and introduces new island ecological and development indexes. Pitched mainly in Chinese Islands-which have seldom found their way in Western literature, the report focuses on the sustainable development of small islands, including in other regions such as the Caribbean. The sustainable development of small islands is critical, especially in the era of climate change and its potential negative impacts and pressures that can disrupt ‘life’ on these small islands. In this regard, there is a stark need to measure and understand the scale and temporal trajectory of an island’s ecological and development status. In part A of the book, titled: ‘Progress in the Theories of Islands and Sustainable Development’; the ICI (island ecological index) and IDI (island development index) are presented. These indexes were developed and tested in over 40 Chinese Islands, in the period 2017 to 2021. The ICI is graded based on the scale of: ‘excellent’, ‘good’, ‘moderate’ and ‘poor’, with excellent meaning that the island’s ecological status is “… excellent and stable, and the island is well protected and managed”. At the lower end, a poor ecological status suggests that the island has a “… fairly poor and fragile ecological condition, and is in desperate need of strengthening protection, restoration and management”, The IDI applies a similar scale of ‘good’, ‘moderate’ and ‘average’. An island that has a ‘good’ IDI, “… has a good and compressive development with outstanding results…” on the three pillars of sustainable development- economy, society/cultural and ecology. The nine case studies, penned in part B titled: ‘Case Studies of Islands and Sustainable Development’, consider a broad range of topics and practices under the sustainable development theme. These include, food and fisheries, tourism, education, partnerships, renewable energy, coastal defense, ecosystem health and whole island renewal and restoration. In the first case study, some key sustainable development practices are highlighted on Dachen Islands, which are now rising from the ashes. These focus on moving towards carbon neutrality, fisheries transformation and blue development. In a similar vein, a whole island renewal is considered on Purple Island, but with a different focus of sustainable development practices. In this case educational enhancement courses to improve place attachment and belonging; improving livability of the island; actively creating a favorite destination were highlighted. Tourism features in the case on Pingtan Islands. The role of social media, policy adjustment and diversity and expansion of product supply are presented as some key sustainable practices. On Gogunsan Islands, sustainable development practices associated with the largest land reclamation project in Korea are presented, inter alia: the optimization of the spatial planning, the commitment to eco-friendly development and the planning for a renewable energy. The development of a collaborative project between communities and an educational institution, reports on the creation of sustainable development student ambassadors, on the small island of Grenada. Ecosystem health restoration in the Miaodao Archipelago, suggests the establishment of an ecosystem health model and the conduct of island ecosystem health assessments as two key sustainable development practices. On Pingdao Island, the sustainable developed practices are crafted from the perspective of industrial upgrading. These include the relocation of the residents to allow for the remediation and restoration of the land and sea utilization and the improvement of the industry chain. Seaweed on Bum-Bum Island is proposed as a sustainable development practice that would support the lives and livelihoods of the Bajau Laut (sea nomads), who depend and live solely on the sea. In this case investments in farming, processing, R&D and market development are proposed. Finally, the development of Sponge Cities or a low-impact development of rainwater systems, is presented as a ‘good sustainable practice for the Zhoushan Islands. An outline as to how this can be achieved is summarized. In sum, this report is an excellent first attempt that brings-out a variety of theories and cases that focuses island sustainable development.