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C08.22 Islands
Session: Human/Nature-interaction on small islands – an integrative geography perspective
Chair(s): Beate M.W. Ratter, Phil Steinberg & Huei-Min Tsai
Abstract:
Small islands face a host of environmental and social challenges, due in large part to their isolation, their relatively small populations and economies, and their limited domestic land-based resources. On islands the interaction of social and natural systems is particularly direct and immediate, however it is no less complex than on the mainland. Islands may be small in terms of space or in terms of the number of agents that contribute to socionatural systems, however they have complex dynamics not unlike larger entities. Indeed, islands are confronted with the special challenge of being unable to “hedge” risk through geographical redistribution. Currently small islands are attracting a high level of attention in the news media and among policy makers, and the sustainability of island socionatural systems amidst climate change has become a leading issue in international politics. While we agree that small islands face a number of unique challenges, this session seeks to go beyond the simple assertion that small islands are under threat to propose that an integrative, non-linear dynamic systems approach for understanding the specific vulnerabilities and resiliencies of island societies, especially as they face questions and limits concerning their development and their ability to cope with disasters. The session aims to analyze and discuss the impact of global changes on regional and local sea level, on socio-ecological systems, on island economies, and on adaptation policies. While rooted in the specific dynamics and limitations of small islands, the session also will explore the degree to which an integrative, non-linear dynamic systems approach, forged in the study of small islands, can be applicable toward the broader understanding of linked processes of social and environmental change. Questions which could be addressed include (but are not limited to): Is there a special innovation capacity of societies with close social kinship networks which provide critical means for intervention at the juncture between the climate system and human activities? What can small islands with their limited resources do to cope with natural hazards? Are small islands in a position to turn their windows of vulnerability into windows of opportunity?Because small islands are arenas of particularly intense dynamism between human and natural systems, we invite papers from both physical and human geography to contribute to this “Integrative Geography” session. We welcome theoretical papers that develop variants of this approach and discuss its potential applicability to the understanding of small islands as well as case study papers that report on attempts at applying integrative models.
Timeslot: 2
Abstract:
Small islands face a host of environmental and social challenges, due in large part to their isolation, their relatively small populations and economies, and their limited domestic land-based resources. On islands the interaction of social and natural systems is particularly direct and immediate, however it is no less complex than on the mainland. Islands may be small in terms of space or in terms of the number of agents that contribute to socionatural systems, however they have complex dynamics not unlike larger entities. Indeed, islands are confronted with the special challenge of being unable to “hedge” risk through geographical redistribution. Currently small islands are attracting a high level of attention in the news media and among policy makers, and the sustainability of island socionatural systems amidst climate change has become a leading issue in international politics. While we agree that small islands face a number of unique challenges, this session seeks to go beyond the simple assertion that small islands are under threat to propose that an integrative, non-linear dynamic systems approach for understanding the specific vulnerabilities and resiliencies of island societies, especially as they face questions and limits concerning their development and their ability to cope with disasters. The session aims to analyze and discuss the impact of global changes on regional and local sea level, on socio-ecological systems, on island economies, and on adaptation policies. While rooted in the specific dynamics and limitations of small islands, the session also will explore the degree to which an integrative, non-linear dynamic systems approach, forged in the study of small islands, can be applicable toward the broader understanding of linked processes of social and environmental change. Questions which could be addressed include (but are not limited to): Is there a special innovation capacity of societies with close social kinship networks which provide critical means for intervention at the juncture between the climate system and human activities? What can small islands with their limited resources do to cope with natural hazards? Are small islands in a position to turn their windows of vulnerability into windows of opportunity?Because small islands are arenas of particularly intense dynamism between human and natural systems, we invite papers from both physical and human geography to contribute to this “Integrative Geography” session. We welcome theoretical papers that develop variants of this approach and discuss its potential applicability to the understanding of small islands as well as case study papers that report on attempts at applying integrative models.
Timeslot: 2