Tourism-Based Alternative Livelihoods for Small Island Communities Transitioning towards a Blue Economy

Tourism development has been promoted as an alternative livelihood to reduce the dependence of small island communities on declining marine resources. It is often central to emerging agendas around marine planning and the blue economy. However, relatively little is known about how communities perceive tourism development as an alternative and potentially sustainable livelihood in their area and its implications. This qualitative study tracks a governance system in transition and analyzes the factors perceived by stakeholders to be driving and hindering the adoption of tourism-based livelihoods on small islands in UNESCO’s Taka Bonerate Kepulauan Selayar Biosphere Reserve (Indonesia). The findings indicate that, despite a series of tourism-enhancing investments and initiatives and the positive attitudes of local communities towards it, tourism is not a direct route towards sustainability for small island communities. The benefits of tourism are perceived to be unequally distributed. The lack of education and skills limits participation in new job opportunities, and the incentives to continue destructive fishing inhibits livelihood transition to tourism. The article concludes that tourism cannot be assumed to generate simultaneous benefits for conservation and development without more equitable benefit sharing, the meeting of basic needs in communities, and addressing the drivers of unsustainable livelihoods.

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Sustainable Resin Collection and trade Practices in Mid Hills of Nepal

The Initiation ◽

10.3126/init.v5i0.10262 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 5 ◽

pp. 128-137

Author(s):

Bharat Gotame

Keyword(s):

Value Chain ◽

Forest Products ◽

Regional Governance ◽

Benefit Sharing ◽

Current Status ◽

Sustainable Livelihood ◽

Financial Benefit ◽

Governance System ◽

Community Forests ◽

Pine Resin

Non Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) in mountains are one of the enormously valued ecosystem services due to their contribution to the livelihood of people. Pine resin is one of the viable NTFP in middle mountain of Nepal which is tapped from Pinus roxbhurghii tree and can be used in paints, varnishes, stimulant, anti-spasmodic, astringent, diuretic and anti-pathogenic and so on. This piece of work is an attempt to review the current status of pine resin collection enterprise in Nepalese Community Forests and its contribution to the livelihood of Community forest users in mid-hill region. Typically, existing legislations and guidelines have high potential to endure the sustainable livelihood promotion by resin tapping enterprise but the endeavors of revitalizing the financial benefit sharing and governance system is still far. The valued contribution of resin enterprise to sustainable livelihood of users is not impossible but it needs greater effort of all stakeholders. For example, partial intervention to market, involvement of poorer households, improve the local and regional governance and so on. Participatory monitoring of collection work and proper enforcement of sustainable harvesting procedure both have to be improved in state of arts that could finally recognize the rational benefit sharing mechanism among various value chain actors from collector to international traders which is indispensable. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/init.v5i0.10262 The Initiation 2013 Vol.5; 128-137

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The impact of tourism development on small island communities in The Bahamas

Tourism Development, Governance and Sustainability in The Bahamas ◽

10.4324/9781003032311-4 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 31-51

Author(s):

Jessica Minnis ◽

Sophia Rolle ◽

Ian Bethell-Bennett

Keyword(s):

Tourism Development ◽

Small Island ◽

The Bahamas ◽

Island Communities ◽

The Impact

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Fisheries Sustainability through Soft Multi-Use Maritime Spatial Planning and Local Development Co-Management: Potentials and Challenges in Greece

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su12052026 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (5) ◽

pp. 2026 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Stella Sofia I. Kyvelou ◽

Dimitrios G. Ierapetritis

Keyword(s):

Spatial Planning ◽

Local Development ◽

Small Scale ◽

Artisanal Fisheries ◽

Sustainable Livelihood ◽

Small Scale Fisheries ◽

Island Communities ◽

The Mediterranean ◽

Family Based ◽

Maritime Spatial Planning

Small-scale fisheries in the Mediterranean represent a significant part of the fisheries industry and their substantial social, economic and place attachment related role has always been acknowledged in the region. Despite the fact that this usually family-based endeavor has a vast economic impact on coastal and island communities of the sea-basin, data and insights on the Mediterranean artisanal fisheries continue to be inadequately developed and poorly integrated in the local development strategies. Thus, the aim of this research is two-fold. Firstly, it presents some data and facts on the fisheries sector in the region and secondly it explores the options of their survival, prosperity and sustainability, approaching the combination of fisheries and tourism as a small-scale and soft “multi-use” in the marine space. Greece, with a huge potential in both the fisheries and the tourism sector, was used as focus area where a co-development process was designed aiming to identify advantages/potentials and challenges/disadvantages of the co-existence of artisanal fisheries and tourism, as perceived by a series of stakeholders including the co-management schemes (Fisheries Local Action Groups, FLAGs) in the country. Key conclusion is that sustainable livelihood from small-scale fisheries depends on the correlation between fisheries and other marine activities. Despite some limitations, this can boost sustainable local development and be a unique pattern of a “win-win” and soft multi-use marine spatial planning (MSP), with economic, environmental, social, cultural and governance related benefits for the coastal communities.

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Island Tourism-Based Sustainable Development at a Crossroads: Facing the Challenges of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su131810081 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (18) ◽

pp. 10081

Author(s):

Eugenio Figueroa B. ◽

Elena S. Rotarou

Keyword(s):

Negative Impact ◽

Tourism Development ◽

Climate Change Impacts ◽

Small Island ◽

Economic Downturn ◽

Mass Tourism ◽

Alternative Tourism ◽

Tourism Sector ◽

Global Tourism ◽

Uncertain Future

Tourism is often seen as the ‘golden ticket’ for the development of many islands. The current COVID-19 pandemic, however, has ground global tourism to a halt. In particular, islands that depend heavily on tourist inflows—including mass-tourism islands, and small island developing states (SIDS)—have seen their revenues diminish significantly, and poverty rates increasing. Some alternative-tourism islands have fared better, as they have focused on providing personalized, nature-based experiences to mostly domestic tourists. This article focuses on the experiences of mass-tourism islands, SIDS, and alternative-tourism islands during the COVID-19 pandemic, and offers possible post-pandemic scenarios, as well as recommendations for sustainable island tourism development. Although the pandemic has largely had a negative impact on the tourism sector, this is a unique opportunity for many islands to review the paradigm of tourism development. In this newly emerging world, and under a still very uncertain future scenario, the quadriptych of sustainability is more important than ever. Responsible governance and management of islands’ natural resources and their tourism activities, addressing climate change impacts, the diversification of islands’ economies, and the promotion of innovative and personalized tourist experiences are all necessary steps towards increasing islands’ resilience in case of future economic downturn or health- and environment-related crises.

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Poverty Alleviation, Ecotourism, and Biodiversity Protection in Príncipe Island

Handbook of Research on the Role of Tourism in Achieving Sustainable Development Goals - Advances in Hospitality, Tourism, and the Services Industry ◽

10.4018/978-1-7998-5691-7.ch004 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 64-80

Author(s):

Alda Matos

Keyword(s):

United Nations ◽

Biodiversity Conservation ◽

Poverty Alleviation ◽

Biosphere Reserve ◽

Cape Verde ◽

Small Island ◽

Small Island Developing States ◽

Sao Tome And Principe ◽

Environment And Development ◽

Future Work

Príncipe is the smallest of the two São Tomé and Príncipe (STP) islands and site of a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. Two-thirds of its seven thousand inhabitants are poor, and the productive fabric does not generate enough resources for poverty alleviation and biodiversity conservation. Moreover, STP archipelago belongs to the group of small island developing states (SIDS), recognised by the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development as a particular case, and international funding for development and sustainability support is available. In addition, the autonomous government of Príncipe identified ecotourism as a niche market to develop, establishing goals for this activity. This chapter presents some results of the actions that have been promoted. In future work, the author studies the case of Cape Verde, another Portuguese speaking SIDS, aiming to understand what has been done in terms of poverty alleviation and its impacts.

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Protected Area Law in Seychelles: Legal Complexity in a Micro-jurisdiction

The International Journal of Marine and Coastal Law ◽

10.1163/15718085-23342030 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 34 (4) ◽

pp. 698-730 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Erika J. Techera

Keyword(s):

Marine Protected Areas ◽

Marine Conservation ◽

Small Island ◽

Global Level ◽

Legal Research ◽

Environmental Pressures ◽

Environmental Laws ◽

Blue Economy ◽

Legal Frameworks ◽

Area Law

AbstractSeychelles is a small island nation with large maritime areas. It has an enviable natural environment and significant endemic biodiversity, both of which are at risk due to environmental pressures. Seychelles has been an active participant at the global level, ratifying a number of environmental treaties and leading blue economy developments. Nevertheless, its size and developing country status calls into question Seychelles’ ability to meet its goals. This issue is particularly pressing given the recent debt swap arrangement and commitment to establish marine protected areas across thirty percent of its exclusive economic zone. Relatively little legal research has been published in relation to Seychelles’ environmental laws. This article contributes to the literature by examining Seychelles’ area-based protection laws focusing particularly on the marine environment. The article analyses the legal frameworks and explores the extent to which these will enable Seychelles to meet its blue economy and marine conservation goals.

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