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CAPITALISING ON ISLAND ACTION AT A HUMAN LEVEL
KNOW-HOW
The fact remains that small islands are in the front
Often ignored and neglected, small islands stand out line in the face of climate disruption, an emergency
primarily for their extraordinary wealth. Emile Mene, situation which demands immediate action as re-
Secretary General of the Loyalty Islands Province in commended by Nathalie Hilmi, based on the various
New Caledonia, presented the resilience plan put into reports produced by the IPCC, of which she is a
place with the aim of reducing the number of impor- member. Action at a human level: this is the purpose
tations and their impact on an ecosystem which is in- of the project “Locavore” run by Stéphane Linou, an
creasingly exposed to cyclones (5 a year on average). advocate for eating local, an initiative attracting the
It is based on the capitalisation of traditional know- interest of many local authorities.
how, just like agroforestry. Recognition of the cultures
and traditions inherent to small islands is also show- Action at a human level was the overriding theme of
cased by Maxime Prodromides, via his organisation this round table, both with the SMILO and Locavore
SMILO. Based wherever possible on local traditions, projects, but also those implemented by the NGO
the organisation implements projects for the protec- Green Cross. Its Executive Director, Nicolas Imbert,
tion of small islands: management of waste, water, insisted on the importance of making an onsite visit
energy, preservation of landscapes, biodiversity and to explore the local island contexts and explain the
governance. actions to be implemented to the population, particu-
larly when it is a matter of climate migration.
Traditions exist on which players can build in terms
of resilience. SMILO operates in the Sao Tomé et There are many future challenges facing the island
Principe archipelago in the Gulf of Guinea, restoring territories, including pollution related to mobility: as
mangrove fields, promoted by sustainable tourism demonstrated by Maxime Prodromides, 75% of car-
with the creation of itineraries. On the Island of Sifnos bon emissions on the Island of Porquerolles are pro-
in Greece, work is being carried out in regard to dry duced by the sea shuttle services that arrive there.
stone walls, olive trees and water sharing arrange- The stakes are high, as are the number of players
ments. Capitalising on existing traditions on small is- mobilised to turn the situation around.
lands means that the local population is supportive,
while remaining in step with international agendas.

THE IN
FIGURES

For SIDS, the Exclusive Economic SIDS represent 2/3 of the countries
7
Zone - the ocean under their that suffer the highest relative loss due
control - is, on average, 28 times to natural disasters, i.e. between 1 and
the country’s land mass. Thus, 9% of their GDP every year.
(source: OCDE-Banque mondiale, 2016)
for many of these countries, the
majority of their natural resources 7. Small Island Developing States.
© Giulio De Vita - pexels.com
comes from the ocean.