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Environment
and development in coastal regions and in small islands |
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Environment
and development in coastal regions and in small islands |
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Coastal region and small island papers 11
EXECUTIVE
SUMMARY
An inter-regional
small island workshop was held in Dominica from 4–6 July 2001 to further ideas
on coastal stewardship, especially in relation to beach resources, in small
islands. Participants came from the Caribbean, Indian Ocean and Pacific regions.
This event followed a series of national workshops held in the smaller eastern
Caribbean islands during 2000–2001 on ‘Wise Coastal Practices for Beach
Management’.
With expanding
coastal populations, many small islands are finding that their beaches and
coastal areas, which formerly they had taken for granted, are becoming less
available for their use and enjoyment. This is leading to conflicts over access
and recreation, traditional uses, sea defences and pollution. Successful
examples of conflict resolution relating to sand mining issues are described in
Montserrat and the Maldives, and the role of regional and non-governmental
organizations is discussed. Constraints facing the successful resolution of the
conflicts include a lack of inter-agency coordination and political support, as
well as inadequate legislation and insufficient enforcement.
In the earlier
national workshops, coastal stewardship had been suggested as one way to reduce
conflicts by engendering a sense of ownership and pride in a country’s
heritage. Coastal stewardship is an attitude of voluntary compliance
demonstrated by a strong commitment and willing participation in efforts to
ensure sound and sustainable use of coastal resources. Moral and economic
aspects of stewardship are explored, and examples presented of activities
involving the private sector, government, communities and school students.
Wise practice
agreements are proposed as another way in which to reduce conflicts by bringing
together all stakeholders, including the government, in a framework of voluntary
compliance. Ideas and proposals are considered and analysed for using such less
formal agreements to resolve conflicts over beach resources at Pinney’s Beach
in Nevis and at Batalie Beach and Picard Beach in Dominica. A slightly more
formalized form of agreement, the Soufriere
Marine Management Area in St Lucia, was also discussed. Such agreements have
considerable potential for conflict prevention and resolution; however, they
need to be in place before conflicts reach crisis proportions.
Ethical
considerations in sustainable living and decision-making is discussed, including
the UNESCO recommendations for the ‘Safeguarding of the Beauty and Character
of Landscapes and Sites’, the ‘St George’s Declaration of Principles for
Environmental Sustainability in the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States’,
and ‘The International Federation of Landscape Architects Code of Ethics’.
At a local level, the ethical aspects of a local coral farming activity in
Dominica are discussed. There is a spectrum of tools, with wise practice
agreements representing a way to include ethical concepts at the local level,
while ethical codes of practice provide a way of including moral values at the
international and professional level.
Effective and
efficient communication lies at the heart of all the concepts discussed in this
report: conflict prevention and resolution, wise practice agreements and ethical
codes of practice. Indeed it is most likely that ineffective or inefficient
communication is among the causal factors of many, if not most, coastal
conflicts. Examples of various methods of communication are considered, in
particular a project entitled ‘Small Islands Voice’, which seeks to ensure
that the voice of civil society on environment-development issues is heeded and
becomes an effective catalyst for on-the-ground action as well as providing
input to the 10-year review of the Programme of Action for Small Island
Developing States.
Small islands face
many constraints and limitations in the long road to sustainable development,
especially in an era of continual change. However, these disadvantages can be
turned to strength, such that islanders, utilizing their traditional
self-reliance and taking advantage of improved communications, can lead the
world in charting their own destiny and finding solutions to coastal resource
conflicts.
