Small island sustainability in the Pacific: Introduction to the special issue

Abstract

Small islands in the Pacific periodically hit the headlines following cyclone damage,political unrest or threats from rising sea levels and loss of biodiversity. The imagegenerally portrayed is one of vulnerable societies that are victims of climate and envi-ronmental change, inept or corrupt leadership, smallness of scale, limited resourcesand extreme isolation. However, as the papers in this special issue on small islandsustainability in the Pacific show, these small island societies actually demonstrate aremarkable resilience and an ability to maintain and/or modify traditional practicesand adapt to new challenges. One of the main themes of this special issue is howlivelihoods have changed over a number of decades, primarily approached throughadopting an historical perspective using longitudinal data. A second theme is theimportance of biodiversity, the richness of indigenous knowledge on biodiversity andsoils, and how this knowledge has enabled islanders to respond to fluctuating eco-nomic and cultural contexts. A third theme is the future facing these small islands: isthe future really as pessimistic as is often portrayed or are small island societies sur-viving, even thriving, despite the odds? At a time of global financial crisis where evencountries of the global north are struggling, it may even be that small islands offermessages of hope and lessons for sustainability.The papers stem from a conference on ‘Sustainable livelihoods and resource man-agement in small islands’ held in Copenhagen in August 2007 when scholars fromDenmark and the University of the South Pacific presented work carried out underthe auspices of the Danish Galathea 3 expedition, alongside invited experts from theUK, US and Australia. Galathea3–sonamedfollowing two previous expeditions:Galathea 1 (1845–47) and Galathea 2 (1950–52) – took place in 2006–7 when theDanish ship