ABSTRACT
Several chapters in this book have explored the human responses to living near shorelines which form the boundaries between the sea and the land, between fresh and saltwater environments. There are, however, areas where the sea prevails both in expanse and in day-to-day presence, while the land is marginal and human life is precariously balanced. Human life on the small islets that make up the atolls in the world’s oceans is dependent on the presence of potable fresh water, while at the same time it is imperilled by the ever present threat of the sea inundating the low-lying islands. In response to these threats, island societies have developed response mechanisms that ensure, to the extent feasible, human and societal survival.
