ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the obvious constraint of space and by the less obvious lack of precise data from detailed, island-by-island case studies of the impact of development on the coastal zone. It describes the differences between the traditional and modern perspectives and presents reasons why the adverse impacts of modern development are fundamentally more threatening to the environmental quality of coastal zones. The chapter considers dramatic and destructive impacts associated with modern patterns of development in the coastal zone and the marine environment. The seriousness of the “technological encounter” is reflected in widespread changes in uses of coastal land and in concomitant environmental stresses and incompatibilities that the new activities create. The specialized life forms of an oceanic island tend to be less tolerant of changes in environmental conditions than those on the margins of continents. A basic characteristic of oceanic islands is their limited, fixed endowment of people, land, sources of energy, beaches, natural harbors, fresh water, and biotas.
