No Island is an "Island": Some Perspectives on Human Ecology and Development in Oceania

Research output: Contribution to conferencePaper, not in proceeding

Abstract

It has often been argued that the Earth is like an island in space and that its brittleness is most clearly reflected on small islands in the oceans. Easter Island, in particular, with its largely depleted resources, has been seen as a microcosmic warning about what could happen to our entire planet. However, the analogy of the Earth and islands with finite natural resources is not self-evident from perspectives on human migration, trade, or carrying capacity. Using the islands of Oceania as examples, it is argued in this paper that unlike our “Earth Island” in space, these islands are not any isolated, finite “planets”, but that the worst tragedy for their human populations has occurred because they no longer have remained isolated from a larger economic system. This paper also shows that the economies of the Pacific microstates increasingly are becoming dependent on global transnational networks of kin and economic transactions that have very little to do with local natural resources, but rather with something which actually might be their most important economic resource of all: independence.
Original languageEnglish
Pages365-379
Number of pages15
Publication statusUnpublished - 2006
EventIslands of the world IX, Sustainable Islands - Sustainable Strategies - Kahului, Maui, Hawaii
Duration: 2006 Jul 292006 Aug 4

Conference

ConferenceIslands of the world IX, Sustainable Islands - Sustainable Strategies
Period2006/07/292006/08/04

Subject classification (UKÄ)

  • Social and Economic Geography

Free keywords

  • Pacific Islands
  • Human Ecology
  • Oceania
  • Environmental Justice

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