Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
As political jurisdictions in their own right, islands have to address their delicate
relationships with national and international entities. The prologue by Miguel
Cluesner-Godt outlines the approach pioneered by UNESCO to establish legal
protection for notable places, and the managerial obligations that come with any
such inscriptions. Such protections are especially crucial in relation to World
Heritage Sites, probably UNESCO's most popular and keenly sought inscriptions.
General Papers
In a section dealing with 'big picture', thematic issues, two papers examine the
special legal conditions encountered by small islands in relation to cultural and
ecological heritage protection. By focusing on Chief Roi Mata's Domain in Vanuatu -
since 2008 a UNESCO world heritage site - Katharina Serrano and Milena Stefanova
explore options for the utilization of international and regional agreements in the
appropriate development and preservation of heritage sites. The authors note that
'cultural heritage' could generate revenue, eliminate poverty and reduce economic
dependency for small island developing states (SIDS); but these same states may be
straddled with limited resources, strained managerial capacity, as well as a grafted
legal regime that is alien to their traditional culture - issues which can exacerbate
community conflict, land alienation and touristic overexploitation of cultural heri-
tage sites. Nevertheless, the rapid expansion of international law concerned with
protecting all aspects of cultural heritage provides opportunities for SIDS, and can
address 'governance gaps', argues Erika Techera in her chapter.
Meanwhile, in the third contribution to this section, Godfrey Baldacchino ques-
tions the received wisdom of accepting the 'economic vulnerability' of small (often
island) states as a given. Instead, he argues that there may be more promise in
considering a small island strategy that navigates between economic (high-density)
and ecological (low-density) criteria of development.
Case Studies
The chapters that follow document case studies in managing contested Pacific
island environments for present and future generations.
In the 'evolutionary workshop' of the Galápagos Islands, strong public gover-
nance is needed to manage diverse and often conflicting stakeholders. Mark
Gardener and Christophe Grenier argue that leadership is needed to develop a 'new
tourism model' designed and managed by the actors capable of taking a cautionary
approach to balancing tourism and biophysical conditions. Meanwhile, on East
Maui, in the Hawaiian archipelago, John Cusick documents how resistance to exter-
nal stakeholders has revived indigenous pride, reconfirmed place identity and
transformed resident empowerment. The result is a renewed vigor in land steward-
ship in accordance with traditional practices, while developing 'appropriate
tourism'. Moving next to Indonesia, Tamen Sitorius outlines the linkages between
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