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

Malm, Thomas LU (2006) Islands of the world IX, Sustainable Islands - Sustainable Strategies p.365-379
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... (More)
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. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to conference
publication status
unpublished
subject
keywords
Pacific Islands, Human Ecology, Oceania, Environmental Justice
pages
15 pages
conference name
Islands of the world IX, Sustainable Islands - Sustainable Strategies
conference dates
2006-07-29 - 2006-08-04
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
0bf2d38b-671c-4fde-a9d7-cf0807a19579 (old id 607301)
alternative location
http://maui.hawaii.edu/isisa2006/ConferenceProceedings.pdf
date added to LUP
2016-04-04 12:54:58
date last changed
2018-11-21 21:11:21
@misc{0bf2d38b-671c-4fde-a9d7-cf0807a19579,
  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.}},
  author       = {{Malm, Thomas}},
  keywords     = {{Pacific Islands; Human Ecology; Oceania; Environmental Justice}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  pages        = {{365--379}},
  title        = {{No Island is an "Island": Some Perspectives on Human Ecology and Development in Oceania}},
  url          = {{http://maui.hawaii.edu/isisa2006/ConferenceProceedings.pdf}},
  year         = {{2006}},
}