Small Island Communities Research Articles

Guesthouses in the Maldives: Towards Community-Based Tourism

The Guesthouses sector in the Maldives is a rapidly growing sector which gives visitors a cheaper alternative for mid to low market segments. The permission to operate Guesthouses in the inhabited islands of Maldives was granted in 2009. These accommodations mostly provided only lodging facilities for the visitors although some are connected with FandB outlets. The sector accounts for 16% of the of the total bed capacity in the Maldives. This research proves that there are implications in proceeding with the Guesthouse businesses in the local islands. One negative impact is socio-cultural. Maldivians have been used to living in small island communities undisturbed from foreigners and for this reason, many locals in the island communities think that hosting foreigners year-round destroys their unique way of life, and hence they do not encourage the rapid progress of Guesthouse businesses. For this reason, the integration of local communities with Guesthouse tourism is not an easy endeavor. Even though this form of tourism is supported by the Maldivian government, it was found that many locals still have reservations on integrating with the tourists due to the socio-cultural differences. The findings of this research led the author to conclude that Community Based Tourism can be a solution if effectively implemented.

Sustainability of rainwater catchment systems for small island communities

Communities living on atolls and similar low-lying islands in the tropical Pacific rely on rainwater and shallow groundwater to meet domestic water needs. Rainwater, generally captured and stored using rooftop rainwater catchment systems, is the preferred water source due to higher quality and convenience of access. This study assesses the performance of rainwater catchment systems (RWCS) on Ifalik Atoll, located in Yap State, Federated States of Micronesia in the western Pacific. A field survey was conducted in August 2015 to evaluate RWCS features (guttered roof area, storage tank size, gutter leakage conditions), determine numbers of users, and estimate daily water use via household surveys. All 152 RWCS were surveyed. Water balance modeling was applied to the RWCS to estimate end-of-day stored rainwater volumes for each day of the 1997–1999 time period, during which an El Niño-induced drought occurred. Results indicate that the community is resilient to drought, although the majority of RWCS were depleted of rainwater and hence community sharing was required. Scenario testing indicates that increasing guttered roof area is the optimal strategy for enhancing system reliability. For example, the volume of water maintained at the peak of a drought can be tripled if the available roof areas for the RWCS are guttered. Design curves, which provide a set of roof area – tank volume combinations that achieve specified levels of reliability, were created and can be used to plan new RWCS. Besides offering insights into community-wide water storage and usage patterns and resiliency for Ifalik Atoll, this study presents methods that can be applied to other atoll island communities throughout the Indo-Pacific region.

Small-island communities in the Philippines prefer local measures to relocation in response to sea-level rise

Most adaptation studies suggest that sea-level rise will lead to relocation as flooding worsens. Here we identified and evaluated potential adaptation strategies for adapting to sea-level rise, based on the experiences of four low-lying island communities in central Philippines that have experienced flooding during normal high tides since a 2013 earthquake that induced land subsidence. Coastal surveys, interviews and household questionnaires showed that island residents generally prefer in situ adaptation strategies rather than relocation to the mainland. These results are unexpected, particularly because a relocation programme has been developed by authorities on the mainland. Direct measurements during a flooding event indicate stilted housing as the most effective type of adaptation strategy. Many households have also raised their floors using coral stones, although this might inadvertently increase their vulnerability to typhoons and storm surges in the long-term. It is often assumed that increased flooding due to sea-level rise will lead to mass migration. However, this study shows that residents of island communities in the Philippines prefer to implement local adaptation measures in response to frequent severe flooding rather than relocate.

Influence of sea level rise on discounting, resource use and migration in small-island communities: an agent-based modelling approach

SUMMARYTime discounting – the degree to which individuals value current more than future resources – is an important component of natural resource conservation. As a response to climate change impacts in island communities, such as sea level rise, discounting the future can be a rational response due to increased stress on natural resources and uncertainty about whether future generations will have the same access to the same resources. By incorporating systematic responses of discount rates into models of resource conservation, realistic expectations of future human responses to climate change and associated resource stress may be developed. This paper illustrates the importance of time discounting through a theoretical agent-based model of resource use in island communities. A discount rate change can dramatically change projections about future migration and community-based conservation efforts. Our simulation results show that an increase in discount rates due to a credible information shock about future climate change impacts is likely to speed resource depletion. The negative impacts of climate change are therefore likely to be underestimated if changes in discount rates and emerging migration patterns are not taken into account.

Effects of rapid livelihood transitions: Examining local co-developed change following a seaweed farming boom

This paper examines the development and effects of a rapid livelihood transition on households, and reflects on how it fits within historic trends of livelihood change for people living in highly variable and vulnerable environments. It also discusses the implications of livelihood dynamism for local governance of natural resources. In recent decades, seaweed cultivation has expanded exponentially in coastal communities across the Asia-Pacific. A case study is presented of a remote small-island community in eastern Indonesia where over the last ten years a dramatic shift in livelihood focus has occurred. Previous dependence on diverse low-productivity livelihood activities transitioned to a predominant focus on seaweed farming. The case shows how social, economic and cultural environments co-develop as people move out of conditions of collective poverty and into more nuclear household-oriented livelihood activities. Specific attention is given to the influence on a marine resource co-management program operating on the island to illustrate how local livelihood dynamics relate to broader paradigm-driven conservation and rural development initiatives. While alternative livelihood programs seek to relieve pressure on resource stocks and provide opportunities for coastal people, this case study provides timely insights into the kinds of unintended effects, trends and impacts that are associated with rapid change in the way people make a living. This study argues that, in addition to achieving higher standards of income and well-being, livelihood improvement interventions need to adequately ensure that conditions under which new livelihood arrangements come to function can be maintained locally.

Doseljavanje na otok – suvremene migracije na otok Korčulu

Doseljavanje na otok – suvremene migracije na otok Korčulu

Environmental and social recovery asymmetries to large-scale disturbances in small island communities

People’s livelihoods in tropical small-island developing states are greatly dependent on marine ecosystem services. Yet services such as fisheries and coastal buffering are being degraded at an alarming rate, thus making people increasing vulnerable to protracted and sudden environmental changes. In the context of the occurrences of extreme events such as earthquakes and tsunamis, it is vital to uncover the processes that make people in these island states resilient, or not, to environmental disruptions. This paper compares people’s perceptions of social and environmental impacts after an extreme event in the Western Solomon Islands (11 different villages on 8 different islands) to better understand how knowledge systems influence the coupling of human and natural systems. We examine the factors that contributed to perceptions of respective recovery in the environmental versus the social domains across communities with different traditional governance and modernization characteristics in a tsunami impact gradient. First, we separately assessed, at the community and individual level, the potential determinants of perceived recovery in the environmental and social domains. At the community level, the average values of the perceived environmental and social recovery were calculated for each community (1 year after the tsunami), and at the individual level, normally distributed environmental and social recovery variables (based on the difference in perceptions immediately and 1 year after the tsunami) were used as dependent variables in two General Linear Models. Results suggest that environmental and social resilience are not always coupled correspondingly and, less unexpectedly, that asymmetries during recovery can occur as a result of the underlying social and ecological context and existing adaptive capacity. More generally, the study shows how by evaluating post-disturbance perceptional data in tsunami-affected communities, we can better understand how subjective perceptions of change can affect the (de)-coupling of human and natural systems.

Exploring climate finance for tourism adaptation development: an overview

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the links between climate finance and tourism adaptation development. Besides increasing adaptation and mitigation efforts to limit greenhouse gas emissions, climate change remains a major challenge in the twenty-first century and beyond especially for tourism which is highly climate sensitive. Hence, it is necessary for tourism to adapt to survive. The aim of the study is to provide a systematic overview of the topic to offer a foundation for better understanding different ways of integrating climate finance initiatives with tourism. Design/methodology/approach The research focused on the top-ranked, peer reviewed journals of each of the two selected research fields. To address this topic, an in-depth systematic literature review in the fields of climate change finance and tourism adaptation development was conducted. Furthermore, because it is a relatively new research topic, conference proceedings were also explored. To guarantee wide coverage of the literature, a query of the following scholarly databases was considered: Elsevier, ScienceDirect and Web of Science. Findings Based on the analyses of the literature available on the topic, the paper highlights the main research trends and conclusions. It is argued that there is imbalance of knowledge on climate change finance as it relates to tourism. To date, there have been relatively few published articles on this topic in the context of tourism. Based on the findings, promising areas for future research were identified, and in particular for small island communities and recommendations for future research are outlined. Research limitations/implications The paper is limited by the scope of the literature review accessed by the researcher. The results of this review may vary according to the databases used. Originality/value Currently, there is no extensive review of articles on climate finance and tourism adaptation. This paper aims at reviewing climate finance studies published in English language to explore knowledge gaps in tourism adaptation. Sets of themes being advanced are also highlighted. Recommendations for future research are provided.

Using Social Network Analysis to examine the role that institutional integration plays in community-based adaptive capacity to climate change in Caribbean small island communities

ABSTRACTRemote island communities in the Caribbean are known to be disproportionately vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. As a result, there is a need to better understand the factors that contribute to increasing local-scale adaptive capacity through large-scale adaptation projects. While it has been argued that strong institutional networks are highly influential in a community’s ability to leverage funds and to implement tailored adaptation projects, limited empirical research has been undertaken. Social Network Analysis was used to retrospectively evaluate the importance of institutional integration for enhancing adaptive capacity in the small island community of Paget Farm in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Paget Farm successfully adapted to a lack of fresh water through the implementation of a funded solar-powered desalination plant – and as a result the community represents an ideal case study for analysis. Results reveal that while the level of vertical integration varied throughout the temporal phases of the adaptation project, horizontal integration was consistently low. These findings suggest that high integration between institutions may not be required during all project phases in order to ensure success and that more consistent rather than high levels of integration between sectors may be more meaningful for enhancing adaptive capacity.

Consensus Building for Long‐term Sustainability in the Non‐North American Context: Reflecting on a Stakeholder Process in Japan

AbstractPractitioners of consensus building are stepping into a relatively new arena of practice: sustainability issues in the non‐North American context. This article explores challenges in such settings, which we illustrate, with a case in Japan regarding the promotion of wood biomass usage through stakeholder dialogue in a small island community. Reflection from the experience reveals two challenges that are likely to occur in similar contexts: drawing the attention of stakeholders to the long‐term risks to sustainability and dealing with personal relationships in a high‐power‐distance culture. We find that in our case and more generally stakeholders’ problem recognition related to risk must be nurtured through learning opportunities and scenario exercises in the early stages of consensus building processes. The hierarchical nature of interpersonal communication in several Asian countries, where senior participants enjoy more power in negotiation, also requires careful design of processes, particularly when long‐term issues are at stake.

Engaging communities in managing multiple hazards: Reflections from small islands in North Sulawesi, Indonesia

Participatory methods are a common approach for giving voice to local communities in hazard and disaster research. Drawing on a study that trialled and modified a range of participatory methods in North Sulawesi, eastern Indonesia, this paper reflects on how such methods help document the capacities of small island communities. We assessed capacity from a sustainable livelihoods perspective, identifying the assets that enable villagers to cope with hazards. This overall approach promoted a discourse of strengths and resourcefulness, contrasting with vulnerability and needs‐assessment approaches common to government and non‐governmental organizations, which tend to focus on weaknesses and can sometimes fuel undeliverable expectations of funding. We provide a critical reflection on participatory methods and their significance for researchers, policy makers and funding agencies working with communities in hazard‐prone regions.

Use of telemedicine to expand access to survivorship care.

26 Background: PeaceHealth St Joseph Cancer Center (PHSJCC) provides medical and radiation oncology services in northwest Washington. PeaceIsland Medical Center (PIMC) is an affiliated medical center that provides medical oncology services in the nearby San Juan islands. Survivorship appointments for Survivorship Care Plan (SCP) delivery are available at PHSJCC but have not been available at PIMC. Telemedicine services were previously established for medical oncology appointments for patients at PIMC with a provider at PHSJCC. Methods: Since January of 2015, patients who are eligible for survivorship services are identified by their medical oncologist or nurse upon completion of chemotherapy at PIMC. They are scheduled for a 1 hour survivorship telemedicine appointment with the survivorship physician assistant (PA). The patients attend the appointment at PIMC with a nurse present there to assist with logistics and deliver survivorship appointment materials. The PA is at PHSJCC and conducts the appointment through visual and audio telemedicine equipment. During the telemedicine appointment the SCP is reviewed and delivered, educational materials are provided and discussed, and referrals are initiated as needed based on a standardized patient distress screening questionnaire. Patients who complete radiation therapy at PHSJCC but live in the San Juan islands are now also being identified and scheduled for survivorship telemedicine appointments at PIMC. Results: Patients who live in a small island community where survivorship services were not available are now able to receive a survivorship appointment with SCP delivery through telemedicine. Between January and July of 2015, 6 patients were identified for survivorship appointment eligibility upon completion of chemotherapy at PIMC. 3 of these patients have completed a survivorship telemedicine appointment, 2 are currently scheduled, and 1 declined to schedule. Although qualitative surveys have not yet been conducted, the patients who completed survivorship telemedicine appointments offered generally positive feedback about the experience. Conclusions: Telemedicine is an effective way to deliver SCPs in geographic areas where patients do not otherwise have access to survivorship care.

Australian Refugee Policy and its Impacts on Pacific Island Countries

Refugees present an immense challenge globally but until recently Pacific Island Countries (PICs) have been relatively sheltered from this phenomenon. However, changes to Australia’s border security and refugee policies in recent years have significant implications for the Pacific because of Australia’s determination to prevent asylum seekers from arriving by boat in Australian territory. This article examines Australia’s so-called ‘Pacific Solution’, which entails the transfer of asylum seekers to camps in Nauru and Papua New Guinea, where they are detained pending determination of their refugee status and ultimate resettlement. The social impacts of Australia’s policies include the heightened tensions that arise from establishing large detention facilities in small island communities, and the social costs of resettling persons who are found to be refugees among poor local populations. Australia’s policies also have other impacts on PICs. Australia’s selective allocation of foreign aid and other funds make PICs vulnerable to pressure from its developed neighbour, and create the danger that Australia’s perceived ‘problem’ with unauthorised boat arrivals is being shifted to acquiescent countries in the Pacific.

Disappearing jewels: an urgent need for conservation of Fiji’s partulid tree snail fauna

Where conservation status of island non-marine molluscs is known, snails tend to be one of the most threatened faunal groups. However, published information regarding island gastropod conservation status, diversity and endemism is frequently unavailable despite the importance of this information for the formulation of biodiversity action plans and conservation strategy. Fiji, for example, has a diverse native land snail fauna (>240 species) with an endemism level of ~80%, but only within the last few years has any information about any of these species been available to the national biodiversity reporting repository. For one lineage in particular, members of the tree snail family Partulidae, with four endemic Fiji Island species, the conservation status of the group has never been assessed. However, based on the alarming extinction rates documented in partulid snail species on other Pacific Islands, information about the occurrence and status of these taxa is urgently needed for Fiji’s biodiversity action plan. To redress this information void, we formulated the Fijian Partulid Tree Snail Project, consisting of five components: (1) raising awareness; (2) locating populations and monitoring population trends; (3) elucidating patterns of genetic diversity; (4) creating action partnerships; and (5) conducting disturbance gradient analyses. The overall goal was to characterise mechanisms leading to persistence of partulids in the face of increasing anthropogenic disturbance. In the initial stages of this project, existing information on Fiji’s partulids was collated and two small, remote islands in the Fiji archipelago were surveyed to investigate whether tree snails persisted there. Living populations of Partula lanceolata and empty shells of Partula leefei were found on Cicia Island in Lau, and on Rotuma Island in the Rotuma Group, respectively. DNA analyses confirm a sister relationship between the two Partula species in north-eastern Lau, P. lirata and P. lanceolata, with both sharing a sister relationship with a member of the same genus in Vanuatu – P. auraniana Hartman, 1888. Prioritisation and further sampling of additional islands, and residual native habitat on less accessible islands and islets, is needed to fully assess the conservation status of all four Fijian species via the IUCN Red List process. Moreover, the basic descriptive information and associated studies reported here will serve to raise awareness of Fiji’s endemic tree snails particularly in communities that had no prior knowledge of their special conservation status; and also at a wider national, regional and global level. Community awareness is particularly vital as the willing support of land owners in the relevant small island communities is critical to implementing any future conservation action plans.

Collaborative tourism planning and subjective well-being in a small island destination

Abstract This paper employed a case study method to examine how a tourism planning process was utilized to discuss resident and community subjective well-being. Sitka, Alaska, a small island community, embarked on a collaborative tourism planning effort as an activity to guide and manage tourism development, particularly development from nonlocal interests that was perceived by some as threatening well-being and quality of life. A general interview guide approach was used and 27 interviews with key informants conducted. The plan document was also consulted as a source of additional insight into the processes, the structure, and their interaction. The research focused on how subjective well-being was defined; how length of residency, livelihood, and role in the community influenced well-being; and how tourism development and concerns over well-being fueled tourism planning.

Island studies and tourism: Diversifying perspectives

Islands have long been part of the tourist imaginary (DeLoughrey, 2013), particularly those with tropical or quasi-tropical characteristics (Hall, 2012). Their frequently singular landscape, their clearly defined boundaries, their isolation from other land masses and the cultures that develop within those limits have lured tourists and scientists for centuries. And yet, there is still a lot to be learnt about these insular spaces. Some argue that by comprehending island environments one can understand larger and more complex systems (Bergstrom et al., 2009) and that changes experienced on islands can anticipate phenomena that will eventually occur elsewhere (Cave and Brown, 2012; Essex et al., 2004). Baldacchino (2007) suggests that oceanic islands in particular ‘are useful systems for understanding human-land interactions . . . for reasons that parallel their utility in understanding biological evolution’ but argues also that we will never truly reach an understanding of island communities if we treat them as microcosms of larger continents (Baldacchino, 2004, 2007; Gillis, 2014). Such a position provides a more fruitful platform for engaging with insular territories as it acknowledges the singularities and idiosyncrasies of their environmental and social landscapes while at the same time recognising the natural and social forces that are common to these territories and which help shape their common image as attractive places to visit, live or work. Island studies, as conceptualised in the social sciences, mostly have followed this position and have expanded dramatically in the last two decades. Journals dedicated solely to the topic have emerged, as well as conferences, networks and research entities. One such program is SICRI, the Small Island Cultures Research Initiative. SICRI was founded in 2004 to facilitate communication and collaboration between researchers and representatives of small island communities. The organisation has aimed to research, and assist with, socio-cultural consolidation and development activities on small islands. SICRI operates with reference to concepts of cultural heritage promoted by UNESCO and consideration of island communities as (simultaneously) isolated and connected. SICRI is concerned also to address the impacts and potentials offered by tourism. SICRI involves researchers from various disciplinary backgrounds, from the four corners of the world and its activities are governed by the principle that external researchers should develop their projects in consultation with island communities and should reciprocate such cooperation with appropriate assistance and facilitation of local cultural initiatives. Consideration of the impacts of, and opportunities offered to small islands by, tourism have been key to the organisation and to the annual conference organised by the network. The study of various aspects of tourism has been a strand that has been woven through a decade of annual International Small Island Cultures (ISIC) conferences organised by SICRI; from the first in Kagoshima (Japan) in February 2005 through to the most recent event in Gozo (Malta) in June 2015. Many of the islands that the conference has been held on are significant tourism destinations and annual conferences have included workshops and study visits exploring aspects of local tourism development. A number of key issues have arisen, including:

Identification, motivation and facilitation of domestic tourism in a small island

ABSTRACTThis paper presents a case concerning domestic tourism in the Isle of Man, British Isles, a small maritime nation with Norse heritage. Qualitative interviews find the existence of considerable domestic tourism activity conducted by island residents, including daytrips and overnight stays, and explore the motivational and facilitating factors which underpin this. Such behaviour is identified by residents as touristic and distinct from other leisure pursuits. Yet recognition of domestic tourism in small geographic spaces is currently almost entirely absent from the tourism studies literature. This article attempts to highlight the issue and draw attention to attendant benefits of domestic tourism which include economic and social impacts. These findings may be relevant to a small island community, and in the case of the Isle of Man, help to support an otherwise ailing tourism industry by highlighting the existence of a significant tourist niche and developing initial management recommendations regarding this.

The Information Needs and Media of Small Islands Society

The purpose of the study is to identify the needs and appropriate media for information services regarding the management of freshwater and sanitation of small island community in North Lombok. The data was collected using a questionnaire with the households as respondents. The study then compared two samples i.e. the community in the district of Lombok north and Kepulauan Seribu using Kolmogorov-Smirnov technique. The community in both districts has similarities and differences in the aspect of demographic, understanding, behaviors as well as the information needs and the preferred media. The study concludes that the community in Lombok Utara needs information about global warming and its effect to the damage of freshwater and sanitation. The media information such as film animation is necessary to be considered due to fact that people of the two districts have a longer time on the land.

Service user involvement in giving mental health students feedback on placement: A participatory action research study

Although the drive to engage service users in service delivery, research and education has mainstream acceptance, it is not easy to achieve meaningful involvement. The contribution that could potentially be made by users whilst accessing services is often overlooked. This study involved stakeholders (mentors, service users and a lecturer) working together to design, evaluate and refine a system enabling students to seek feedback from service users. The feedback concerned mental health students' interpersonal skills and occurred whilst on practice placement. This research aimed to explore the experiences of those concerned when nine students attempted to learn from rather than about service users. A 2-year study, encompassing five cycles of participatory action research (PAR). A small island community in the British Isles, adopting UK standards for pre-registration nurse education. Data came from interviews with service users and mentors and a series of reflective group discussions with students who volunteered to try out the feedback mechanism. The deliberations of the PAR stakeholder group informed the research cycles and added to the data, which were subject to thematic analysis. Findings indicated that service users volunteering to give feedback had unanimously positive experiences. Students' experience lay on a continuum: those with a stronger sense of self were more willing and able to ask for feedback than less confident students. Cultural adjustment to the role change needed was challenging, requiring self-awareness and courage. Over time, all students achieved deep learning and, for some, learning appeared transformative. Although contextual, the study concluded that the feedback initiative encouraged the development of more equitable relationships, in which mental health nurses respected the expertise of service users. This potentially benefits student development, recovery-orientated practice, service users and HEIs searching for meaningful ways to involve service users in learning and formative assessment.

Climate Adaptation Planning in the Northern Mariana Islands: Adapting Guidance for a Locally Appropriate Approach

This case study describes the climate adaptation planning efforts that were undertaken on the island of Saipan in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. This effort focused on establishing a multi-agency Climate Change Working Group. The adaptation planning efforts on Saipan used two main sources of guidance: one document written for application to coastal jurisdictions throughout the United States and a set of tools designed for small island communities in the Pacific. These sources were combined with inspiration from adaptation processes in other jurisdictions and adjustments were made to fit Saipan's situation. Modifications were based on available knowledge or expertise, technical capacities, and local needs. Several themes that are common to adaptation processes elsewhere were important in Saipan: leadership and political will, stakeholder involvement, level of climate knowledge, building on existing collaborations, and technical capacity. These themes are examined, with an emphasis on how we adjusted to meet the challenges that arose in the context of Saipan's social, political, and economic landscape.