Policies for potentially inundated island nations for the retention of marine resources and rights of associated under-water features and exclusive economic zones

Abstract

Sea level rise is one of the primary drivers of global ecosystem change, with significant and far-reaching consequences for the social and natural environments of islands. The emphasis on maintaining marine resources, and the rights associated with underwater features and exclusive economic zones, has notably intensified for Small Island Developing States (SIDSs). Despite these states possessing legally secured rights to maritime zones, their inadequate capacity for marine governance could render them susceptible to rampant illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, as well as the tangible loss of these resources. Consequently, such approaches thus lack effectiveness to promote SIDSs’ adaptation to climate targets and the retention of marine resources. Therefore, this paper uses the coevolutionary framework to analyse the synergies among policies in SIDSs, from the perspective of institutional diversity. It summarises 107 policies into the categories of engineering, economy, cooperation, and education. Based on the results of this categorisation, the challenges and key trends underlying the implementation of such policies in SIDSs are explored. Two corresponding recommendations are developed, which include building island resilience based on acknowledging the diversity of environmental and social issues among SIDSs and promoting “learning-by-doing” in those SIDSs.