Archive - Land Resources

Small island nations have a large coastal area to land mass ratio, which means that they are largely coastal entities. Their coastal environment is therefore particularly important, both socio-economically and culturally, and there are typically high levels of conflict in the demands for coastal space and its resources. This conflict is often accentuated by high and increasing population densities on the coast and by the development of economic sectors such as tourism. For the size of their land mass and population, small island nations usually have large marine exclusive economic zones, which has vastly extended the fisheries and other marine resources available to small island developing states. Potential benefits may be great. But so too are the problems and challenges faced by the countries concerned in seeking to grasp and optimize these potential benefits. For both terrestrial and marine environments, difficulties in planning and implementing effective integrated approaches to resource management are reflected in over-exploitation of particular resources, pollution and degradation of land and water ecosystems, and acute conflicts between competing resource uses. Many of UNESCO’s ‘pre-Mauritius’ activities are still contining, and are accessible under ‘UNESCO’s Role and Contribution’ (right). Additional information-sources include: Technical Guides and Other Publications Internet Discussion Forums Participation Programme