Islandscapes: Isolation and Pressure

Abstract

Islands are interesting subjects for study, with their frequent fluctuations in population size and economic activities, and their propensity for being at once both isolated from and dependent on the outside world. They are often seen as metaphors – for human societies faced with environmental dangers and limitations, and (on a larger scale) for the world as a whole. Using examples from different parts of Europe, and with a focus on the Wadden Sea, this article analyses the specific ‘island-ness’ of their landscapes’ character. In periods of population pressure, islandscapes developed into ‘pressure-cooker’ landscapes, with very intensive agriculture and extremely small-scale field patterns. In these situations, the sea acted as a safety valve: many islands typically show mixed economies of agriculture combined with shipping or fishing. In other periods, migration led to much lower population numbers, and some islands even became unpopulated. In the present phase of globalisation, many have ceased their agricultural activities, but others manage to continue cultivation by specialising in specific crops, and yet another group now use their landscapes for that other major global industry, tourism, very often capitalising on their ‘heritage landscape’ character that is a result of the alternating periods of activity (creation) and stagnation or desertion (preservation) that appear to be characteristic of islands in the first place.