scholarly journals Staying Small and Beautiful: Enhancing Sustainability in the Small Island Developing States

2022 ◽  
pp. 73-91
Author(s):  
Geeta Batra ◽  
Trond Norheim
Keyword(s):  
Biological Diversity ◽  
Distinct Group ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Small Island ◽  
Project Design ◽  
Small Island Developing States ◽  
Related Factors ◽  
Global Environment Facility ◽  
Regulatory Frameworks ◽  
Cluster Evaluation

AbstractSpread over the ocean regions of the Caribbean, the Pacific and Atlantic, the Indian Ocean, the Mediterranean, and the South China Sea, the small island developing states (SIDS) are a distinct group of developing countries often known for their rich biological diversity, oceans, tourism, and fisheries. The pressures on these and other natural resources is most immediate in the islands where the high vulnerability to the impacts of climate change, limited land and water resources, often unsustainable natural resource use, and other particular economic vulnerabilities are disrupting livelihoods. The COVID-19 pandemic has further exacerbated the SIDS economies and livelihoods. Over the past 25 years the Global Environment Facility (GEF) has supported interventions in SIDS through $578 million in financing, in critical areas such as biodiversity protection, climate resilience, and energy access through renewable energy. But how effective and sustainable have these interventions been? What factors influencing the sustainability of GEF interventions can provide insights for future project design and implementation? This chapter draws on findings from a recent country cluster evaluation on SIDS conducted by the Independent Evaluation Office (IEO) of the GEF. It presents the main environmental challenges in SIDS, the evidence on the relevance and effectiveness of GEF interventions in addressing these challenges, and the main risks to sustainability of outcomes. Important contextual factors that affect sustainability in SIDS include good policies and legal and regulatory frameworks, national ownership of projects, environmental awareness, institutional capacity, and strategic institutional partnerships. Project-related factors including good project design and adaptive project management, scaling-up and replication based on lessons learned, and a good exit strategy are also important for sustainability.

scholarly journals Disaster-Risk, Water Security Challenges and Strategies in Small Island Developing States (SIDS)

Water ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 637 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jana Gheuens ◽  
Nidhi Nagabhatla ◽  
Edangodage Perera
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Good Governance ◽  
Geographical Location ◽  
Water Security ◽  
Spillover Effects ◽  
Disaster Risk ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Small Island ◽  
Small Island Developing States

Small island developing states (SIDS) are typically characterized by being environmentally and socio-economically vulnerable to disasters and climate change. Additionally, they often have limited resources for freshwater provisioning services. This article presents an assessment of disaster risk and water security-related challenges in SIDS focusing on three major dimensions: (a) how disaster risks are perceived and addressed in the SIDS context using a case study method, (b) analyzing the current status of water security in these regions using an indicator-based approach and (c) assessing gaps and needs in institutions and policies that can facilitate sustainable development goals (SDGs) and targets, adaptation and resilience building in SIDS. In this regard, information on all SIDS is collected to be able to distinguish trends in and between SIDS based on amongst others geographical location and characteristics. This synthesis noted two key observations: first, that in SIDS, the number of disasters is increasing at a higher rate than the global average, and that the frequency and intensity of the disasters will likely increase because of climate change. These combined factors will impact SIDS on the societal level and on environmental levels, reducing their adaptive capacity, resources, and resilience. Second, most SIDS are already water-scarce with low groundwater volumes. Because of increasing demand (e.g., population growth and tourism) and decreasing supply (e.g., pollution and changes in precipitation patterns) freshwater resources are becoming increasingly limited, often suffering from the spillover effects of competing and conflicting uses. Threatened ecosystems and limited economic resources further influence the adaptive capacities of communities in SIDS. In this light, key solutions to address disaster-risk and water security-related challenges can be found by sharing best practices and lessons learned—from examples of good governance, integrated policies, improved community-resilience, and capacity-building. Added to their fragile situation, SIDS struggle to find enough funding to put their development plans, programs, and policies into action.

scholarly journals Mainstreaming Agricultural Biodiversity in Traditional Production Landscapes for Sustainable Development: The Indian Scenario

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (24) ◽  
pp. 10690
Author(s):  
Ishwari Singh Bisht ◽  
Jai Chand Rana ◽  
Rashmi Yadav ◽  
Sudhir Pal Ahlawat
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Biological Diversity ◽  
Food System ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Convention On Biological Diversity ◽  
Agricultural Biodiversity ◽  
Smallholder Farming ◽  
Global Environment Facility

Mainstreaming biodiversity in production landscapes ensures conservation and sustainable use of agricultural biodiversity, the key objectives of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the projects supported by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) Global Environment Facility (GEF). Mainstreaming integrates biodiversity in existing or new programs and policies, both cross-sectoral and sector-specific. The conventional model of agricultural production with limited diversity in production systems and use of high chemical input has taught us a valuable lesson as it is adversely impacting the environment, the essential ecosystem services, the soil health and the long term sustainability of our food systems. Using a qualitative participant observation approach, our study investigated four distinct traditional Indian production landscapes to gage (i) the farming communities’ response to institutional policies, programs and agricultural biodiversity-related activities in traditional Indian production landscapes and (ii) opportunities and challenges for sustainable development in smallholder traditional Indian farming systems. Results indicate that the top-down decision-making regime is the least effective towards achieving sustainable development in traditional Indian farming landscapes and that farmers’ experiential knowledge on participatory biodiversity management, maintenance and use for sustainable development are of critical importance to India’s agriculture and economy. Reclaiming agriculture’s spiritual roots through organic farming and locally grown food emerged as key, including the need for designing and implementing a more sovereign food system. Revisiting traditional smallholder farming under the COVID-19 pandemic and lessons learned for repurposing India’s agricultural policy are also highlighted.

scholarly journals New Integrated Approaches to Climate Emergency Landscape Strategies: The Case of Pan-European SATURN Project

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (20) ◽  
pp. 8419
Author(s):  
Anastasia Nikologianni ◽  
Alessandro Betta ◽  
Angelica Pianegonda ◽  
Sara Favargiotti ◽  
Kathryn Moore ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Blind Spot ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Ecosystem Research ◽  
Environmental Challenges ◽  
Rural Landscapes ◽  
Nation States ◽  
Regulatory Frameworks ◽  
Regional Strategies ◽  
Innovation And Technology ◽  
Development Goals

The landscape has been described as a ‘blind spot’ when examined in light of regional strategies. The immense potential of peri-urban and rural hinterlands to counter the climate emergency is therefore also overlooked. The European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT)Climate-KIC’s (Knowledge and Innovation Community) System and sustainable Approach to virTuous interaction of Urban and Rural LaNdscapes (SATURN) aims to address this short-sightedness. The reason why we do not see or value the landscape is complex, but part of the problem relates to its multiple ownership, numerous types and scales of conflicting designations, governance structures, policy requirements, and regulatory frameworks. This leads to an approach that is fragmented and sectoral and, therefore, fails to see the bigger picture or recognise the value that the territory has in order to deal with current environmental challenges. With partners from across Europe, the pan-European Orchestrated Ecosystem research project co-funded by EIT Climate-KIC, SATURN aims to develop new integrated strategies which will increase awareness of the capacity of the landscape, which is seen is seen as a vital way to address the deepening climate emergency. SATURN anticipates that the outputs will build capacity across Europe to help nation-states meet the 2030 UN Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs) and respond to the environmental challenges. This paper, reporting on interim findings, sets out the next phase of the project and concludes with lessons learned so far, including an initial identification of processes that can be applied in regions across Europe and an evaluation of the significance of exchanging knowledge between different countries.

Aiding ocean development planning with SDG relationships in Small Island Developing States

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gerald G. Singh ◽  
Marck Oduber ◽  
Andrés M. Cisneros-Montemayor ◽  
Jorge Ridderstaat
Keyword(s):  
Development Planning ◽  
Small Island ◽  
Small Island Developing States

scholarly journals Conceptualization and Realization of a National Trail in a Small Island-Nation: The Commonwealth of Dominica’s Experience

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 79-94
Author(s):  
Colmore S. Christian
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Socioeconomic Development ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Strong Support ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Small Island ◽  
Implementation Challenges ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Research Themes ◽  
Socioeconomic Benefits

The island-nation of Dominica, 790 km2 in area, is located approximately 1126.5 km Southeast of Florida, USA. In the mid-1990s, Dominica embarked on developing the 183.5 km Waitukubuli National Trail (WNT), the first and only national trail model in the Eastern Caribbean. The 14-segment WNT, officially opened in May 2013, passes through some of the island’s most diverse landscapes. WNT was designed to link as many rural communities as possible and promote ecotourism and community socioeconomic development. Rehabilitation work continues on the WNT and the rest of Dominica, following the devastation caused by Hurricane Maria of 2017. This article, based primarily on a limited questionnaire survey, selected interviews, and literature review, explored the research question ‘What were the challenges faced by a small-island nation in the development of a National Trail? Five specific research objectives focused on the conceptualization, implementation challenges, partnerships fostered, national and sub-regional significance, and future outlook of the Trail were considered. Questionnaire respondents identified the island’s topography and negotiations with private landowners as significant trail construction challenges. A 100% of survey respondents anticipate that reliable funding to support timely maintenance would likely be a critical future issue. Some respondents identified marketing, public engagement, and visitor safety as potential issues. Face-to-face interviews found strong support for the WNT. The interviewees were confident that Dominica would realize sustainable socioeconomic benefits from the Trail. The article concludes with lessons learned and proposes strategies and research themes to ensure the Trail’s sustainability.

scholarly journals Why Protect Ancient Woodland in the UK? Rethinking the Ecosystem Approach

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-24
Author(s):  
Jona Razzaque ◽  
Claire Lester
Keyword(s):  
High Speed ◽  
Biodiversity Loss ◽  
Ecosystem Approach ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Value Systems ◽  
Ancient Woodland ◽  
Forestry Practices ◽  
Regulatory Frameworks ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
The Uk

Abstract Sites of ancient woodland in the United Kingdom (UK) are diminishing rapidly and the multifunctional forest management system with its fragmented approach fails effectively to protect such woodland. In the face of reports on the destruction of ancient woodland, the HS2 High-Speed train project in the UK signifies the extent of trade-offs among the key stakeholders. Such large infrastructure projects typically come with high environmental and social costs, including deforestation, habitat fragmentation, biodiversity loss, and social disruption. This article examines the protection of ancient woodland in the UK and assesses the challenges in applying the ecosystem approach, an internationally recognized sustainability strategy, in the context of such protection. A better understanding of the ecosystem approach to manage ancient woodland is critical for promoting sustainable forestry practices in the UK and informs the discussion in this article of the importance of conserving ancient woodland globally. Lessons learned from UK woodland policies and certification schemes include the need to have in place strong regulatory frameworks, introduce clear indicators, and recognize pluralistic value systems alongside economic considerations. The article concludes that the protection of ancient woodland in the UK requires distinct and strong laws that reflect multiple values of this resource, acknowledge the trade-offs among stakeholders, and adopt an inclusive approach to reduce power asymmetries.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document