ABSTRACT
Given accelerating ecosystem damage and the decline in biodiversity on a global scale, the search for sustainability pervades contemporary development discourse and will likely dominate the economic-environmental debate across the 21st century. The sustainable tourism emphasis is particularly appropriate for many small islands engaged in postwar economic restructuring toward tourism diversification. The limited literature on cold water islands does identify many strategic advantages and shortcomings that circumscribe tourism growth. Waste management and climate change will provide particular challenges for cold-water island planners. In cold water islands, cold temperatures slow the biochemical processes of decomposition that frequently ‘de-toxify’ the toxic elements of solid waste. To assist in long-range planning and environmental monitoring in these fragile ecosystems, cold water islands need accurate mapping of basic geography, land cover and other natural resources.
