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INTERNATIONAL SMALL ISLANDS STUDIES ASSOCIATION (ISISA)


The ISISA Secretary is Dr Mark Hampton mark.hampton@port.ac.uk

The following is a summary of the proceedings of the proceedings of a conference in 2000.

I would draw the reader's attention to the following topics on the agenda:

Both of these feature heavily in the "Mauritius Declaration" which follows, and to which ISISA participated without any recorded abstentions or disagreements. While the statements are more a "wish list" than a detailed strategy, it seems unfortunate that the same positive suggestions have not been made in the case of Jersey, although very critical ones have.


Islands of the World VI Conference, Isle of Skye, 16 - 20 October 2000

"Small Islands in the Third Millennium: SHARING SOLUTIONS TO COMMON PROBLEMS"

Conference Theme

Even though there are conditions which separate small islands from each other the "island factor" is present - circumstances which are unique to islands compared to the mainland (or large islands). Some characteristics of the "island factor" are remoteness and insularity, peripherality to centres of decision making, a limited range of natural resources, specialisation of economies, small markets, narrow skills base, poor infrastructure, vulnerability to natural disasters, degree of exposure to forces outside of their control such as climate change and sea level rise, environmental fragility and often unique but threatened biological diversity.

 

How different islands, through their Government agencies, university departments, NGOs, voluntary bodies, community groups, or simply as individual islanders have overcome these COMMON PROBLEMS is the general theme for Islands VI. The majority of islands face similar difficulties and ISISA will particularly welcome papers that can lead to SHARING SOLUTIONS with other delegates and a wider audience. By learning from each others experience, and borrowing as well as replicating best practices for their own island, the following might serve as a useful list of topics that papers could address:

improving production and distribution of renewable energy
finding innovative ways to bring about waste minimisation
introducing efficient public transport
raising standards of water and air quality
adopting integrated coastal zone management plans
involving communities to create protected areas or safeguard endangered species
seeking ways to control and eradicate invasive or alien species
realising the importance of documenting and maintaining biodiversity
promoting sustainable rather than mass tourism
diversifying economies to reduce dependence on one dominant product or service
utilising the full political potential of Exclusive Economic Zones
having control over local fisheries
preserving traditional island cultures and all other forms of creative expression
 respecting indigenous peoples, languages and customs
 fostering gender equality to ensure the full use of human resources
 using information technology to improve health care and education

 This gave rise to "The Mauritius Declaration".


THE MAURITIUS DECLARATION

 The participants at the ISLANDS V conference held in Mauritius, July 1-5 1998, note that small islands face special challenges in view of their relatively small size, limited natural resources, peripherality to centres of decision making, degree of exposure to forces outside of their control (such as globalisation, climate change and sea level rise), their small open economies, fragile ecosystems and vulnerability to natural disasters. These issues were discussed during the conference and the following recommendations were made:

 that education systems in small islands must have social, cultural, environmental and economic sustainability and equality of opportunity as major objectives;

that small islands adopt a strategy of Island Systems Management (ISM) to take into account the interactions of all the components such as the various ecosystems, development plans and available resources to achieve sustainability;

that ISISA and the stakeholders in small islands promote the use of the Internet and the World Wide Web as well as more traditional forms of communication to facilitate access to information to support the sustainable development of small islands;

that as a matter of urgency, islands adopt an Integrated Coastal Zone Management Strategy for the sustainable use of coastal zone resources because the fragile coastal zone forms such an important ecosystem in delicate equilibrium. These zones include the coral reefs which must be protected not only for the benefit of tourists but also for their inherent biological worth which includes their value as habitat for a variety of marine fauna;

that small islands diversify their economies to reduce their high dependence on one dominant product or industry, their vulnerability to decisions made off-island and to maximise islanders' real influence on their own economic development;

that programmes aimed at both the protection and improvement of biodiversity include efforts not only to protect all existing flora, fauna and ecosystems in general but also improve public awareness of biodiversity;

that governments make it a priority to promote gender equality in sustainable development planning to ensure the full use of the human resources of small islands.

We further recommend:

that the problem of capture, distribution and conservation of fresh water resources be given far more serious attention than it has in the past;

that the Kyoto Protocol be implemented as a matter of urgency because islands are increasingly threatened by cyclones, hurricanes and sea level rise due to climate change resulting from greenhouse gas emissions;

that islanders speak, and others hear, of the unique and positive cultural experiences of island living through literature and other forms of creative expression;

that legislation to support sustainable development be enacted and enforced by the governments of small islands;

that nation states with islands consider the special features of those jurisdictions in the formation of national and regional policies;

that small island states complete comprehensive Biodiversity Strategy Action Plans;

that national Alien Species Action Plans (ASAP) to prevent the introduction of, and to eradicate and control the spread of, alien plants, animals and micro-organisms in the fragile small island environments be developed;

that comprehensive, easily accessible databases be developed and maintained to provide information to support sustainable development, for example, on land use and traditional ethnobiological knowledge;

that small islands promote the development of the smaller scale technologies required to increase their ability to recycle waste such as glass, paper and plastic;

that the appropriate international bodies assist the small island states in monitoring and protecting their Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ);

that the human dimension be included in the formulation of plans, policies and legislation;

that study groups be established so that work can continue during the interval before the next conference;

that governments and teacher training institutions of small islands develop teacher training programmes which assist and encourage teachers in using appropriate new technologies such as the Internet for teaching and learning;

that governments encourage the use of the Internet by private individuals for self-directed learning and the sharing of information;

that small islands explore alternatives such as regional groupings to develop appropriate, island friendly, economic development policies to cope with pressures to open their economies to globalisation, flows of capital and liberalized free-market systems;

that efforts be made to raise awareness of the impact of modernization on health in small islands and to encourage governments and communities to take an integrated approach to improving health.