Land tenure is a major source of conflict in many countries around the world and especially along the coasts of small islands where the limitations of size render the disputes particularly acute. For example, the loss of just one beach can be significant in the small-island context, in contrast to continental countries with their longer coastlines and wider resource base. Many small islands in the Caribbean, Indian Ocean and Pacific regions are experiencing rapid tourism growth, especially along their coasts. This is impacting coastal resources that islanders traditionally take for granted. Unfortunately, it is not until such areas become inaccessible, or their resources are destroyed, that people become aware of the loss of their heritage. And by this time it may be too late.
Against this background – and in view of the need to find innovative ways to share commonly held resources in an equitable manner – an intersectoral platform for ‘Environment and Development in Coastal Regions and in Small Islands’ was established by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization in 1996. This initiative seeks to contribute to the development of an integrated approach to the prevention and resolution of conflicts over resources and values in coastal regions and small islands. Three specific approaches have been adopted: field-based projects, university chairs and twinning networks, and a multi-lingual Internet-based discussion forum on ‘Wise Coastal Practices for Sustainable Human Development’.
Several case studies, relating to conflicts over the use of coastal lands and beach resources in islands in the Caribbean, Indian Ocean and Pacific regions, are discussed in this paper. Land tenure patterns differ from island to island and from region to region. For instance, in some islands in the Caribbean, private ownership of land extends to the high water mark, and in a few isolated cases, the floor of the sea is privately leased. In other Caribbean islands, as well as some in the Indian Ocean, particularly those with a French history, the land adjacent to the coastline is owned exclusively by the government and can only be leased, not sold, to private individuals. In contrast, in many islands in the Pacific, and others in the Indian Ocean, e.g. the Maldives, there is a pattern of customary ownership, with communities, villages and clans owning coastal lands.
Regardless of the specific land tenure system, most islanders regard beaches as public property for the use and enjoyment of all. Wherever development interferes with this concept, conflicts arise, whether in Barbados over the competition for beach space, or in the Seychelles over the ‘right’ of access to the beach, or in the Surin Islands over the entitlement of a group of indigenous people to follow their traditional hunting and gathering lifestyle.
Wise practice agreements are proposed as a way to reduce such conflicts by bringing together all the stakeholders involved in a particular situation, in a framework of voluntary compliance. Testing such agreements in the field of coastal land tenure remains a challenge for the future.