van der Velden, Miguel (2022) The Role of Seaweed Farms in the Social Development of Small Island States. Master thesis, Cultural Geography - Climate Adaptation Governance (CAG).
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Abstract
Small island states are at the forefront of the global conversation around sustainability. However, sustainable development, which is often used synonymously with ‘green growth’, is an unfitting solution for small island states, for it is contingent on an infinitely growing economy, in countries and territories with a scarcity of terrestrial resources. ‘Blue growth’, a more fitting alternative theoretically, in practice is full of contradictions, misunderstandings of marine resources and a total disregard of the political reality of ocean space. Therefore, while it is important and logical to bring marine resources front and center in the development of islands, the main focus of a small island state’s blue development should not be economic, but social. This research paper focuses on one potentially regenerative emerging marine practice that could form the pinnacle of blue development in small island states: seaweed farming. Seaweed farming could boost small island states’ environmental and economic development, but research on the social benefits of seaweed farming are scarce. Therefore, this paper asked the question: what is the potential role of seaweed farms in the social development of small island states? Findings based on expert interviews include that seaweed farming as a new economic sector and local food source could have far-reaching benefits for small island states. However, experts mentioned that such a success of seaweed farming in small island states would be contingent on two factors: that the seaweed industry employs farming methods that are environmentally regenerative, and that a governance structure is put in place that is based on social values and whose primary goal is local community development, rather than profit and export. To this end, ideas for future research and recommendations are provided.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Master) |
|---|---|
| Name supervisor: | Berg, C.F. van den and Vulpen, B. van |
| Date Deposited: | 14 Sep 2022 12:12 |
| Last Modified: | 27 Sep 2024 07:14 |
| URI: | https://campus-fryslan.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/229 |
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