Integrating Fisheries into the National Development Plans of Small Island Developing States (SIDS):
Ten Years from Barbados

The development and effective introduction of strategies designed to ensure the ecologically and economically sustainable utilisation of coastal and marine resources is perhaps the major challenge for Small Island Developing States (SIDS). In response, the 1994 Barbados Programme of Action (BPoA) called upon the SIDS to implement appropriate coastal and marine strategies and, crucially, ensure such strategies were integrated into national sustainable development plans (NDPs). This article examines the extent to which contemporary NDPs and donor support programmes have presently incorporated the fisheries sector – arguably the most important coastal/marine resource for many SIDS – into such documents. Applying an assessment methodology originally developed to identify levels of environmental mainstreaming within World Bank Country Assistance Strategies to NDPs and donor support programmes, we are able to identify those SIDS who have most effectively integrated the fisheries sector into such documents. Comparison with data indicating the importance of the sector to the national economy (in terms of generating foreign exchange, employment generation and/or supporting domestic protein consumption levels) enables us pinpoint those countries with substantive fisheries sectors, but a correspondingly lower than expected degree of sectoral mainstreaming. We suggest that the imminent review of the BPOA offers an opportune moment for such countries to redress such omissions.

The Potential Benefits of Agricultural Biotechnology and the Problems of European Attitudes to
Biotechnology for the Economies of Small Island Developing States

Agricultural products from many Small Island States such as sugar, banana, cocoa, coffee and tobacco are often destined for the European market at preferential prices. In the face of globalization and the loss of preferential prices many Small Island States seek to diversify or enhance agricultural competitiveness through the use of technologies. Biotechnology offers a potentially powerful tool to increase competitiveness and many developing countries are already growing crops developed using this technology. Evidence of the benefits for small producers of adoption of genetically modified (GM) crops is presented from research carried out by the authors in South Africa and India. The research shows that smallholder farmers in both countries have benefited from the adoption of GM crops such as Bt cotton, with higher profit margins, lower labour requirements and health benefits from reduced pesticide usage. However, given some negative attitudes of European consumers towards agricultural biotechnology products, Small Island States face the dilemma of adopting this potentially beneficial biotechnology for agricultural products destined for the European market. The paper presents the findings of a study on consumer attitudes towards genetically modified (cane) sugar in the United Kingdom as a barometer of consumer attitudes in Europe and discusses the implications for the uptake of GM sugarcane and other GM varieties of important agricultural export crops in Small Island States, including international trade considerations.

Malta in the EU – A success story of integration of an island economy in a regional bloc?

Malta was one of the 10 new Member States acceding to the European Union on 1 May 2004. The scope of this paper is to analyse the short-term impact effects of Malta’s EU accession both from an administrative and economic dimension. The success or otherwise in operating in the EU is usually benchmarked by the degree of trade integration by fully exploiting the EU’s Internal Market, foreign direct investment flows, absorption capacity of structural funds and tapping of additional funding opportunities by employer bodies, unions and NGOs. Although it is only a few months since Malta’s EU accession took place, it is evident that Malta has some difficulties to cope with the amount of work originating from the various EU Institutions and there is still significant scope for institution-building at both the private and public sector levels so that the full benefits of EU membership start being experienced by the Maltese population. Given the severe limitations of specialized human resources to operate at EU level, it is recommended that Malta focuses on those areas of major interest to its future socio-economic development – the Euro-Med region, financial services and taxation and the sustainability dimension of agriculture and fisheries and tourism. If over the first 2-3 years Malta manages to absorb all the EU funds made available to it and the social partners work in unison to introduce the necessary structural reforms to steer Malta from a relatively protected economy to Economic and Monetary Union hence embracing the euro, then Malta’s EU integration can be deemed as a major success for other small island economies to emulate.

Labour Mobility for Sustainable Livelihood in Pacific Island States

The challenge of guaranteeing sustainable livelihood in small isolated Pacific island communities remains a contested issue.  Rising poverty within some of the Pacific island countries (PICs) gives urgency to considerations of sustainable livelihood.  The increasing reliance on donor support for provision of basic public services in a number of the PICs raises serious doubts on the sustainability of the status quo.  This paper assesses the seriousness of the sustainability-challenge and provides avenues to addressing this challenge.  We observe that rapid population growth with limited natural resources renders subsistence as a dwindling source of livelihood in many of the PICs.  Increased labour mobility for the region as a whole, thus, has considerable merit.

Is there a Correct Way of Establishing Sustainability Indicators? The Case of Sustainability Indicator

Development on the Island of Guernsey

The popularity of sustainability indicators is almost inescapable, from the early pioneers such as the ‘Sustainable Seattle’ project (Atkisson, 1996) to the comprehensive European Union benchmarking launched last year (EC, 2003), it seems that consensus has been reached about the positive impacts that establishing sustainability indicators can bring.

Population and Economics – A Case Study of Mauritius

Objective
The objective of the study is to analysis the socio economic links between the rapidly declining population growth rates between 1950’s and 1970s and the plateauing after that and economic growth. Mauritius is one of the pioneer countries in Africa, which adopted family planning and as a result reaped the benefits thereof. The paper will present the economic savings, which accrued as a result of the earlier population decline and the economic costs the rapid decline is having on the economy today and will have in the future.

Building a Favorable Business Environment for Sustainable Growth in a Small Island Economy:
The Case of Hong Kong

The building of a favorable business environment (BE) is a key to facilitate the successful operations of business at the microeconomic level and to enhance economic growth and development of an economy at the macroeconomic level. For a small island economy endowed with limited natural resources including land and labor that can significantly affect economic growth and development, the concern of building of a business friendly, economically and politically stable environment to attract foreign investment has become even a more critical issue. This paper intends to investigate the factors determining a favorable BE which contributes to the social-economic development in a small, open economy with specific reference to Hong Kong as an example.

Taking More than it Gives?
Implications of Tourism for the Sustainability of Caribbean Small Island Developing States

The paper is set within the context of a major divergence in economic performance among Caribbean Small Island Developing States over the second half of the twentieth century. The strongest association between economic performance and environmental change were observed in the correlations between gross domestic product (GDP) per capita and resources of the tourist industry, with particular reference to water and land. While the measures of association largely confirm the linkages that one would expect, what they cannot reveal is the sustainability of the industry. The question that still remains is whether the increases in natural resource use for the growth of tourism are contributing more to the sustainability or the non-sustainability of these resources and thus, ultimately, of future development.

Emerging shades of green marketing conscience among the population of a small island economy-
a case study of Mauritius

In recent decades, the population of Mauritius comprising both consumers and producers have expressed increasing concern about the environmental impact of products Considerable attention has been directed toward green products such as organic foods, recyclable paper, phosphate-free detergents, energy-efficient lighting. Consumer attitudes to nutrition and healthy foods and sensitivity to environmental issues have also been found to be influential in Mauritius. The present study reviews the changes and attitudes of the population toward business and the environment and explores the demand and supply characteristics of green products in Mauritius.