Speakers & Papers

The Energy From The Edge conference will include several papers including:

Making the Most of Large Scale Resource Development in Remote Communities

Prosperity through Identity

Plenary Session on Governance

International Society of Marginal Regions (ISSMR) Seminar

The Arc of Opportunity: Realising the Potential of Scotland's Island Communities

By Stuart Black, Director Global Connections, Highlands and Islands Enterprise

Abstract

Islands are an integral part of what defines Scotland and are major contributors to the country’s economic, historical and cultural diversity and richness. The communities which live in the islands are the key to their future prosperity and it is important that they are supported to overcome barriers to economic and social progress. This paper draws on thinking within Highlands and Islands Enterprise to suggest possible policy initiatives to increase opportunities for our islands to make a full contribution to a healthier, wealthier, fairer and greener Scotland. In particular it argues for a change in the way we view our islands and how we invest in their success. Around the north Atlantic from Ireland through Iceland and Scandinavia there exists what is increasingly referred to as the Arc of Prosperity. This paper argues that Scotland’s islands are an Arc of Opportunity.

PDF Download The Arc of Opportunity (Presentation)

Biography

Stuart Black Stuart Black is a graduate of Edinburgh (MA Geography Hons) and Glasgow Universities (PhD). He was appointed Director of Global Connections with Highlands and Islands Enterprise in April 2007. Prior to then he has held three positions with HIE: Chief Executive of HIE Inverness and East Highland, Director of Strengthening Communities and, Head of Economics. He joined HIE in 1996 and was previously Lecturer in Land Economy at Aberdeen University.

He lives in Inverness and is married with 3 daughters.

Community Energy Developments and Future Opportunities for Remote Communities

By Patrick Ross-Smith, Shetland

Biography

Patrick Ross-Smith was trained and qualified as an artist in glass. Since moving to Shetland Patrick has become ever more involved in community energy projects and now has seen ten years of development in this sector.

Fair Isle is one of Shetland’s “off grid” communities being entirely dependant on renewable energy in the form of a wind diesel generation system installed in 1982. This was the first community owned and operated renewable energy system of it’s type installed in Europe.

Patrick was involved as a maintenance engineer and then latterly as System Manager with responsibility for operation of this generation and distribution system.

In 2004 Patrick moved to the Shetland Mainland.

For two years he worked as development officer for North Isles Renewable Energy Partnership and sought through this to establish and support projects bringing community ownership and development of local energy systems, in particular the Shetland Wind2heat systems.

Patrick was appointed by HIE as a director of the newly established Highlands and Islands Community Energy Company where he served for some time, only leaving to take up the opportunity to become more directly involved with Community Energy Company project development and delivery work in Shetland.

Northern Knowledge Network

By Sheila Downer

Abstract

In this changing world, having access to pertinent information and expertise is critical to economic success. Harnessing information and knowledge assets of our communities can play a pivotal role in building diverse and vibrant economies in a northern, coastal and rural setting. SmartLabrador has a history of success in its work in northern communities for the development of networks and online applications.

Leading the development of the Northern Knowledge Network, SmartLabrador is working with global partners to:

This presentation will introduce the Northern Knowledge Network as a potential tool for building an online Northern/Coastal community. Topics will include the approach SmartLabrador is proposing for the Northern Knowledge Network, the value of linking members of Northern and Coastal communities across the North Atlantic region and the potential innovative partnerships that can be derived from this type of initiative.

Biography

Sheila is currently working as Executive Director for SmartLabrador Inc. SmartLabrador is a cooperative strategy of Labrador’s regional economic development corporations to address local IT development. In this position Sheila has served as a catalyst for the development of information technology in Labrador. She has lived in Labrador for twenty three years and has worked in many facets of community development, including recreation, employment services (HRDC), coordination of development association programs, and has managed a regional telecentre.

Sheila’s work for the past fifteen years has included the planning and management of major IT projects for Labrador communities. The two most notable projects include, SmartLabrador and the Labrador Broadband Initiative. SmartLabrador has been a joint initiative of Labrador’s municipalities, institutions, industries and the federal government of Canada. The initiative helped to demonstrate that a largely rural and geographically remote location like Labrador can be a leader in the world’s knowledge economy. The Labrador Broadband Initiative, also a cooperative approach of Labrador’s “community of communities” has played a key role in building Labrador’s digital infrastructure for improved access and services to residents and businesses.

Sheila’s 28 year background in community economic development has provided a strong foundation and appreciation of the needs of rural and northern communities. Her work in northern isolated communities has provided a strong background in understanding and addressing challenges of rural I.T. development and has helped in her experience in the delivery of ICT services internationally. Sheila has also worked with businesses throughout her career and serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the Labrador Development Corporation. She has been recognized as one of Atlantic Canada’s Top 50 CEO’s and currently serves as a member of the Hemispheric Advisory Board for the Institute of Connecting the Americas (International Development Research Centre).

Sheila is a very strong advocate for the development of rural communities. She is originally from Central Newfoundland and moved to Labrador to assume a one-year contract with the provincial government in 1984. She has since, adopted an extremely strong allegiance to Labrador, its issues, its people, and its potential.

Population Dynamics from Peripheral Regions 

By Godfrey Baldacchino, Prince Edward Island, Canada

Abstract

Taking a North Atlantic perspective, this paper argues for the need to adopt a dynamic approach to demography and migration in peripheral (often island or remote rural) regions. It cautions against the simplified and false dichotomy between gentrification and depopulation, calling rather for a more fluid appreciation of the manner in which people connect with peripheral place. In so doing, the paper also identifies the poverty of data-collection methodologies for demographic purposes, wedded as they are to static categories of time and location.

It also reviews qualitative material from Prince Edward Island that highlights why immigrants privilege their mobility to ‘settling down’: some of the reasons given speak to the difficulty of “fitting into” a tight island community. Finally, the paper suggests policies that may facilitate the better integration of geographically remote communities into the wider knowledge economy.

PDF Download Population Dynamics from Peripheral Regions (Presentation)

Biography

Godfrey Baldacchino Professor Godfrey Baldacchino BA, PGCE (Malta), MA (The Hague), PhD (Warwick) is Canada Research Chair in Island Studies at the University of Prince Edward Island, Canada; visiting professor of Sociology and Director of the Centre for Labour Studies at the University of Malta, in Malta; and Executive Editor of the web-based Island Studies Journal. Born and bred in Malta, he has served as a visiting professor to tertiary education institutions in Barbados, Canada, Fiji, Iceland, Mauritius and the Seychelles. He is a Director of Global Islands Network, member of the Islands Commission of the International Geographical Union, member of the Executive Council of the International Small Island Studies Association, and member of the editorial boards of the Mediterranean Journal of Educational Studies, INSULA (the UNESCO Journal of Island Development), the Journal of Small Business & Entrepreneurship and of The Round Table: The Commonwealth Journal of International Affairs.

Godfrey has authored and co-authored 12 books and monographs; edited and co-edited another 10, and penned over 50 peer-reviewed journal articles or book chapters since 1984. His latest edited books include: A World of Islands: An Island Studies Reader (2007); Bridging Islands to Mainlands: The Impact of Fixed Links (2007); and co-editor of Remote Control: Lessons in Governance from / for Small Places (Newfoundland, forthcoming, 2007). In many of these publications, he reviews the specific challenges of human resource development of island societies.

Home page: http://staff.um.edu.mt/gbal1
Moderator of web-site: http://www.islandstudies.ca

Challenges Facing Small Remote Rural Labour Markets: Scottish and Shetland Perspective and Experience

By Andrew Blackadder, Shetland

Synopsis

This paper will consider and analyse some of the key characteristics of small rural labour markets such as size, limited job opportunities and career paths, and lack of appropriate skills; and examine the factors that cause individuals and households to move. Why do people leave remote areas? Why do people stay? Why do people move to remote areas? This will be done in relation to the experience in the peripheral parts of Scotland especially Shetland.

The underlying trends and drivers for change in the population and labour markets will be identified and key challenges highlighted. Attempts to bend the trends will be reviewed for the degree of success or failure – what has worked and what has not? For example Fetlar, Fair Isle, and Papa Stour experiences, and SIC recruitment campaigns.

The paper will also address key questions such as: How do we alter the migration balance? How do we retain people? How do we get people to return? How do we get new people and then retain them? What should be the response to migrant workers?

Finally, from this analysis, some priorities for future research and policy action will be put forward for debate and discussion.

Biography

Over the last thirteen years Andrew has been managing director of a company with a small team offering consultancy services in economic and business development and European Affairs from a base in the Shetland Islands.

The company specialises in rural economic and impact analysis and in particular sectors such as fisheries (catching, processing, aquaculture) and tourism sectors, but also covers other key sectors such as energy (renewables and oil and gas). It also works closely with individual companies on feasibility studies, business plans and obtaining funding for projects.

Before this Andrew worked for Shetland Islands Council for over fifteen years and latterly was a Divisional Manager responsible for Economic Policy, Research, and EU Affairs. As a result he has been closely involved in the economic development of the islands, and with formulating actions and policies to support local industry and to tackle the effects of the impact of oil development. During this time he drew up a number of strategy and policy reports on the local economy and industry sectors, set up economic databases, undertook extensive economic analysis and forecasting of the economic conditions in Shetland, particularly in relation to fisheries and oil.

Extensive experience of the EU was gained over a period of twenty years from working with the various institutions and through lobbying activity on regional policy, fisheries and agriculture; production of plans and strategies for the Highlands & Islands of Scotland; and obtaining substantial funding for projects in the islands. He still undertakes EU work for various public agencies and local authorities and is working on two contracts with the European Commission, one with DGFISH that has involved technical assistance on fisheries issues and papers at various international meetings, and the second one is as an Evaluator of energy projects for DGTREN.

Prior to working in Shetland, he was employed in Cambridgeshire where he was responsible for drafting and implementing the local Council's economic policies and measures to promote growth in the Fens. This followed several years as a professional Town Planner from 1972 after post-graduate Town Planning studies at Glasgow University and a first degree in Geography at Edinburgh University.

Making the Most of Large Scale Resource Development in Remote Communities

Introduction by Chair

By Kaspar Lytthans, Faroe

Biography

Kaspar Lytthans is the former executive director of NORA (until 2007). Lived in Greenland, Faroe Islands and Denmark. Graduated as social anthropologist (Copenhagen University), research fellow here followed by 15 years in Greenland Home Rule Government administration working within regional development. Author of books and articles on Greenland regional development and Nordic cooperation and involved in research programmes and for 15 years involved in Nordic regional policy development and a European regional development programme.

Exploitation of hydropower for aluminum production in a small community in East-Iceland

By Hjalti Johannesson, Iceland

Abstract

Contracts were signed March 15 2003 on some of the largest projects in Icelandic history to date. These projects, located in East-Iceland are the hydropower station Kárahjúkar (690 MW) and the Alcoa aluminum plant in Reyðarfjörður with a production capacity of 346,000 metric tons annually. The total investment in these projects amounts to about 2.5 billion U.S. dollars in the years 2003 – 2009 with a total of about 6,300 man years of work to be carried out. Given the small size of the Icelandic economy these have to be considered to be quite a lot. During the period 2004-2009 the Research Centre of the University of Akureyri will be carrying out a research on the socioeconomic impacts of these projects in the communities in East-Iceland. The region in general had for a long time experienced relative economic stagnations. Already huge impacts have been observed especially in the region within two hours driving distance from the project sites. The paper will highlight some of the major observations of this study to date.

Biography

Hjalti JohannessonHjalti Johannesson has been working as a researcher at the Research Centre of the University of Akureyri (RHA) since the year 2000 as well as teaching part time at the university. He is a geographer and has been taking part in various research projects at the institute since then. These are especially in the fields of municipal reform, regional development, regional innovation, labour market changes and communications. Prior to his work at RHA Hjalti has e.g. been working as a manager of association of municipalities in North-Iceland and in town planning. E-mail: hjalti@unak.is

The Bright Future of the High North

By Mette Ravn Midtgard is a Senior Researcher at NORUT Research Institute in Tromsø, Norway

Abstract

The petroleum industry in Norway is a mature industry, but in the High North there have been little activity. Nowadays there is an increased focus on the High North, and the main reason is discoveries of oil and gas on the north-Norwegian coast. This longed for development is followed by several tensions, hopes and demands. Oil companies seeking to establish themselves in the Barents Ocean meets challenges as; demands for regional effects, indigenous peoples rights, environmental concern and from the governmental position the High North is in a tense geopolitical situation.

This paper is based on a chapter written together with Ove H Heitman in a forthcoming book Arctic Oil & Gas, Taylor & Francis, edited by Langhelle and Mikelsen, Norway.

Biography

Mette Midtgard Mette Ravn Midtgard is a Senior Researcher at NORUT Research Institute in Tromsø, Norway. She is educated as an Economic Geographer from the University of Oslo, and has worked as researcher in Northern Norway for more than ten years. Her research field is regional development, especially in relation to petroleum and tourism. In 2007 she starts at her PhD fellowship with focus on Recovery Strategies subsequent to an oil spill. mrm@samf.norut.no

Prosperity through Identity

Introduction by Chair

Alastair Hamilton

When Alastair Hamilton originally came to Shetland, it was to work in the Council’s Planning Department, which was then coping with large-scale oil development, and to complete an MSc. It hadn’t occurred to him that he might be here 31 years later but the islands seduced him. A geographer and chartered planner, he was formerly the Council’s Head of Planning. Now Senior Adviser in the Economic Development Unit, he provides advice in relation to the Viking Wind Farm and works on marketing strategy and certain other projects. He is also Chair of Shetland Children’s Panel, is involved with a group promoting links with Tamil Nadu and has many other interests including conservation, photography and music.

Icelandic Reflections on Sustainable Identity

By Ragnar Baldursson, Iceland

Abstract

The people of Iceland have variously been described as rude barbarians barely surviving in hostile environment, or as highly educated people living in harmony with nature writing poems and literature. Both identities are based on the realities of life in the High North, where small and isolated communities have had to strive physically and mentally to sustain themselves. It is of great importance which identity prevails, the negative image or the positive one. The former can bring forth regression, while a positive identity contributes to prosperity.

Sustainability is key element in the positive identity of the High North. The sustainable use of limited resources has always been essential for the survival there. With the advent of modern technology and international trade, the resources of High North have been extended, creating a basis for improved livelihood and prosperity. But the importance of sustainability has not diminished. It has become an integral part of the identity of contemporary Iceland and is the basis of sustainable prosperity for the Icelandic people.

Biography

Ragnar BaldurssonRagnar Baldursson was born on Vestmannaeyjar, Iceland. He studied languages and philosophy for a total of eight years in China and Japan, i.a. at the Beijing University and the University of Tokyo and later at the University of Iceland. He worked as a teacher and journalist in Iceland before entering the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Iceland in 1995.

He has been working at the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Affairs since 2003 with a focus on sustainable fisheries, energy and Arctic affairs serving as the Chairman of the Baltic Sea Region Energy Cooperation for a while and as the Senior Arctic Official for Iceland on the Arctic Council.

Ragnar Baldursson has written two books on Chinese History and Philosophy in Icelandic and he was instrumental in compiling a Report of a Icelandic working group on Navigation and the Future of the Arctic, which was published in English in 2006 under the title North Meets North.

Capacity Building, Local Identity and Regional Development: The Experiences from Bornholm, Denmark

By Peter Billing, Denmark

Abstract

During the last decade the Danish island of Bornholm has undergone profound transformations. Once a leading fishing hub in the Baltic Sea, Bornholm has embarked on a route to find a strategic position in the dynamic development of the Öresund Region. This has involved a concerted effort among private, public and NGO actors to regenerate the regional economy and society. Key elements in this strategic process has been the successful mobilization and utilization of the island’s creative resources in regional arts, crafts and food products. As a consequence, Bornholm has entered an energetic phase of development permeating the economic, social as well as cultural fabrics of the island life.

Biography

Peter Billing has a PhD in Modern History from Lund University, Sweden. During the last 15 years he has engaged in numerous inter-disciplinary research projects focusing on urban and regional post-industrial regeneration, the growth of service and and creative economy, regional identity and culture, development and policy on European islands. Since 2002 he is director of the Centre for Regional and Tourism Research based on the Danish island of Bornholm. Recent research projects include a pre-study on the ‘Spatially Relevant Aspects of Tourism in the EU” as part of the EU Commission research program European Spatial Planning Observatory Network (ESPON).

Electricity At The Edge: Decision-making In The Energy Institution

By E. Kathleen Stuart University of Prince Edward Island, Canada

Abstract

Edges and islands clarify our understanding of paradoxes and complexities that become more stark and visible at small scale.  The supply of conventional electricity in islands is characterized by high costs and inflexible technological constraints whereby supply and demand must simultaneously coincide or be connected to larger, more robust systems.  But on bounded islands, as elsewhere, policy makers also operate in the space where concepts such as identity, jurisdiction, creativity, sustainability and perceptions of geography can influence or reshape the ways electricity flows are received, produced and used.  This paper argues that islandness nuances this space, influencing the institutional context and thus electricity policy decisions.

The paper is grounded in case study research conducted in 2006 on Prince Edward Island (PEI), a province of Canada which espouses a strong island identity despite its various mainland connections.  Received from the mainland via undersea cable, high-voltage electricity is distributed throughout PEI by one publicly-owned, vertically-integrated utility.  The energy institution in PEI is illuminated through interviews with key decision-makers at the energy and environment ministries of government and the regulatory commission for utilities, as well as with the monopoly electrical utility, alternative energy suppliers and consultants in the private sector.  The research analyzes attitudes and perceptions of energy sector decision-makers and their degree of openness towards innovation, research and development, along with their understanding of sustainability and environmental themes.  It illustrates that there may be advantages associated with small scale in the space where political and jurisdictional strategies can leverage islandness to achieve policy goals.

The study concludes that negotiated political solutions rather than market solutions offer more promising alternatives to solving energy issues in small-scale islands.  Recommendations to policy makers include the following: encouraging alternative energy technologies given already high electricity costs; providing top level ministerial support for energy portfolio; implementing clear, comprehensive energy policy with sustainability targets enforced by legislation; and enhancing energy literacy through broadly based public debate and truly innovative energy policy.

Biography

Kathy StuartE. Kathleen (Kathy) Stuart was born on Prince Edward Island (PEI) where she has spent most of her life. As a pragmatic islander, her career has been multifaceted, acquiring undergraduate degrees in sociology and home economics, as well as professional training in dietetics and graphic arts, prior to establishing her own graphic design business during the 1980s. Subsequently acquiring a degree in business administration, she spent the next 15 years in management with the Law Foundation, a grant-making institution, and the Law Society of PEI, a regulatory institution, where she was immersed in issues of provincial and federal jurisdiction from a small-scale perspective.

Kathy is a recent graduate of the Masters in Island Studies Program at UPEI where her trans-disciplinary thesis focused on the institution that supplies electricity in islands. With emerging research interests in public policy, entrepreneurship, sustainable development and jurisdiction, her articles appear in peer-reviewed academic journals, Sustainable Development, Journal of Small Business and Entrepreneurship and the Island Studies Journal. Kathy has been assisting Dr. Godfrey Baldacchino with the Sub-National Island Jurisdiction Database for the past three years, and has begun teaching Island Studies to undergraduates at UPEI.

Plenary Session on Governance

Governance for Regional Development Around the North Atlantic Rim: Opportunities from the Inside Out and the Outside In

By Robert Greenwood Ph.D., Director, Leslie Harris Centre of Regional Policy and Development, Memorial University of Newfoundland

Abstract

Rob Greenwood This presentation draws on almost two decades of comparative study and collaboration amongst the small jurisdictions and regions around the North Atlantic Rim. It proposes that the diversity of governance approaches, histories and political cultures provides a rich basis for continued comparison and learning. Despite the diversity, it also suggests that a common challenge in all jurisdictions is successful balancing of the allocation of powers between central, regional or provincial, and local levels. It contends that all policy areas should be subjected to three basic considerations: how do we govern ourselves in this area now; what powers for shared decision making are devolved within the jurisdiction; and what can we learn and how can we partner outside our region or jurisdiction. These are not dramatic, insightful suggestions. Good policy development should entail them already, and in many cases decision makers do so, to greater or lesser degrees. We need to continue to share lessons, and extend learning to the application of lessons within our jurisdictions. In addition, through collaborative ventures across the North Atlantic Rim, regional development can be advanced in ways which are sustainable and resilient.

PDF Download Governance for Regional Development Around the North Atlantic Rim (Presentation)

An Island: inside or out?

By Karen Scott, Isle of Man

Abstract

The Isle of Man is an internally self-governing Dependency of the British Crown which has enjoyed mixed fortunes over the past hundred years or so. The period before and immediately after the second world war was characterised by severe economic hardship, seasonal unemployment, migration, and population decline; and yet this has been turned around in recent decades, to such an extent that the Manx economy has seen a period of unprecedented and continuous growth during the last thirty years or so, with GDP per capita, which in the late 1980s stood at 90% of the UK figure, now standing at nearer 110%.

This presentation, entitled “An Island inside or out; a small nation in a modern world”, will demonstrate that it is the Isle of Man’s unique constitutional relationship with the United Kingdom (through its link with the British Crown) which has allowed it to position itself in such a way as to enable its people and businesses to take advantage of the legislative and regulatory environment in order to prosper, whilst ensuring that a high level of services are provided, the Island’s physical infrastructure is maintained and improved and that the recognised international standards are met.

Being internally self-governing, the Isle of Man has been able to take advantage of changes in the global economy, notably the growth of the financial services industry, the enormous leaps forward in information technology and satellite communications, and the liberalisation of global capital markets, in order to ensure that its people have been provided with an environment in which they can flourish.

Biography

Karen Scott has been Head of Crown and External Relations Division for the Isle of Man Government since 2005. The Division builds and maintains relations with the UK and with the British Isles and the EU through a variety of formal and informal structures; the Division also supports the interests of the Island internationally, for example with the USA. As Head of Crown services Karen is also responsible for matters such as passport issuance and acts as the senior Immigration Inspector for the Isle of Man.

Karen is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Management, a Certified Executive Coach and holds an MA in Education. Karen has worked in the Manx Civil Service since 2003 when she was appointed as Director of Corporate Services with the Police Service; she has also worked in the voluntary sector (social inclusion). Manx-born, Karen spent many years working in UK local government prior to returning to the Isle of Man where she now has a much better appreciation of the superb quality of life the Island offers.

Towards Integrated Management Of The Southern Gulf : Where Do Coastal Communities Fit In?

By Irene Novaczek, Institute of Island Studies, University of Prince Edward Island

Abstract

Recognized in the 1970’s as the most diverse and biologically productive of Canada’s marine areas, the Southern Gulf of St Lawrence has since suffered through serial depletions of commercial fish stocks and serious degradation of habitat, while continuing to support nationally important economic, social and cultural capital.

Although impoverished and economically depressed in comparison to the wealthy central and western provinces of Canada, the Atlantic region nonetheless continues to play important political, economic and cultural roles in the country.  The region is rich in social capital, well endowed with universities, and tends to grow and educate workers who migrate west for jobs and then return in their retirement years.  As a result, the demographic is ageing and rural areas are emptying out.  This is seen very clearly in the inshore fisheries – once the backbone of rural life.  With the average age of fishing captains being well over 50 years and fewer young people interested in the dangerous and increasingly ill-rewarded work of fishing, the future of fishing villages seems to be as picturesque backdrops for tourism – a process of museumifaction that threatens the survival of local dialects, music and folklore as well as the more tangible fabric of working communities: schools, shops and wharves.

The unravelling of rural communities is seen by some as an inevitable consequence of modernity and globalization, but for others it is a call to arms. An important aspect of the fight for survival of these communities is played out in the offices and meeting rooms of the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans, a government agency whose policies over 30 years have been driven more by its mandate for economic development of fisheries than by its other mandate, the protection and conservation of fish and fish habitat.  The agency has systematically facilitated the consolidation of quotas and fishing power in the hands of politically powerful corporations, divested responsibility for small harbours, and transferred monitoring and management tasks to those elements of the fishing industry that can afford to undertake them. 

In this new millenium, however, the concepts of integrated management, subsidiarity and sustainability have provoked the passing of an Oceans Act which, although underfunded and largely unsupported and misunderstood, has nevertheless resulted in development of plans for coastal and ocean management that may open the door for involvement of not just small boat fishers but also their wider communities in the process of coastal and fisheries management and rural development. 

This paper will document and explore some recent processes and initiatives in the Southern Gulf region, in the context of ongoing and often conflicting aspirations of fishers, tourism operators, environmentalists, communities, oil and gas companies, seabed miners and other “users” of a vulnerable and increasingly degraded marine environment that is already feeling the impacts of global climate change.

Biography

Dr Irene Novaczek was born in Musselburgh Scotland, grew up in Atlantic Canada and Quebec, graduated from Dalhousie University and pursued doctoral studies in marine ecology at the University of Auckland, New Zealand. Post-doctoral research in coastal ecology, North Atlantic biogeography and shellfish toxicology gave way in the 1990s to a shift to the human end of coastal ecosystems.

As the Canadian groundfishery collapsed, Dr Novaczek began working  nationally and internationally with environmental organizations and fishermen’s unions, engaging in the United Nations Law of the Sea negotiations around migratory fish stocks, and becoming involved in coastal community development in the Caribbean.  By the mid 1990’s she was in Indonesia working with fishing communities on community based management and conservation of coral reef fisheries, which included development work in ecotourism and other forms of alternative economic enterprises.

Subsequent opportunities took her to the islands of  the South Pacific to perform a needs assessment for small scale fisheries and to work on small business development based on marine resources with fisherwomen.  In 2004 Dr Novaczek was appointed to the Director’s position of the Institute of Island Studies on her home island, where she continues to work in partnership with community and fishers organizations on matters of public policy.  She has most recently been engaged in a multistakeholder process, the Northumberland Strait Ecosystem Initiative, to study and make recommendations to address the ongoing collapse of fisheries, supporting ecosystems and coastal communities of the Southern Gulf of St Lawrence.

International Society of Marginal Regions (ISSMR) Seminar

During the conference Energy from the Edge week, ISSMR, in cooperation with the other conference partners, are responsible for special seminars for more informal presentations and discussions related both to the theme of the conference and the challenges and strategies for development in the periphery. As has been the custom, we will meet to discuss research papers, and exchange knowledge about our different parts of the world. This Seminar will include a several academic papers, student thesis; contributions from regional development practitioners, as well as papers and presentations more loosely related to the Seminar's theme. Usually each presentation is 10 to 15 minutes with 5 - 10 minutes for comments and discussion.

The seminar will be chaired by the President of ISSMR; Professor Jørgen Amdam.

Current Local Life Support Policies by the Local Governments under the NEW National Land Sustainability Plan

By Yasutaka Matsuo, Senshu University, Japan

Abstract

The way of life in non-metropolitan areas differs whether the dwellers can commute to the neighbouring central city or not. The study areas are divided into two zones; the daily urban zones and the remote-rural areas. As such situation will continue or rather get strengthened for the future, the small and medium-sized societies have to explore the ways to survive with an innovative idea and incessant trials of their own. In this paper the ranges, the priorities and the characteristics of the policies by the local governments are investigated through the case studies.

The Politics of Peripherality and the Issue of Sovereignty: case studies from the North and South Atlantic

By Alison McCleery, Napier University, Edinburgh

Abstract

What Robinson once referred to as ‘backward areas of advanced countries’ appear at first sight have little to offer in terms of either livelihoods or life chances. Standard economic and social indicators of wellbeing, including demographic trends, might suggest that these marginal regions should remain both out of sight and out of mind. Yet, both historically and more recently, it is notable that peripherality is politically significant whether from a strategic or a resource perspective, with the UK archipelagos of the Outer Hebrides and Shetland springing readily to mind.

This paper will examine the way in which marginality, globalisation and exploitation are inexorably linked using inter alia examples from opposite ends of the Atlantic Ocean: namely the Islands of Saint-Pierre et Miquelon, situated in the wild, windy and wet North Atlantic off the North American massif, but with ownership variously disputed between France and the UK; and the Falkland Islands/Malvinas, situated in the wild, windy and wet South Atlantic off the South American massif, and recently in the news on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the war fought over their sovereignty between Argentina and the UK.

Fish in the former case, and sheep in the latter are not the only or real reason for fighting over physically inhospitable territories such as these. What is certain, however, is that where sovereignty is a live issue, funds flow freely even if rural development problems do not invariably disappear.

Region Building and Economic Change in Western Norway

By Professor Jørgen Amdam, Volda University College, Norway

Abstract

In the post-industrial society there are a big difference between communities that are or can be integrated into these urban structures and communities on the outside. Almost all job and population growth are now in these urban zones, while the rural communities on the outside have stagnation or decline.

The process that increases the differences between the urban core and the rural periphery also influence West Coast of Norway that is changing into three major structures:

  1. The big town belt from Stavanger to Bergen that has almost 700,000 inhabitants and 2/3 of all jobs on the West Coast. Oil and related industries is the dominating cluster.
  2. The small town belt in the North West that include Kristiansund, Molde and Ålesund. This area has only 17% of the jobs of the West Coast, it is less dynamic then the south and dominating cluster is marine industries related to fisheries, shipbuilding and support to oil and gas activities.
  3. The marginal rural area, fjords, mountains, islands inside and between the urban structures with 3/4 of the land, less than 1/5 of jobs and population. This area is divided into a lot of small job markets due to the geographical structure, and has the same kind of challenges as the eastern mountain areas of Norway.

Empowerment Planning in Regional Development

By Roar Amdam, Volda University College, Norway

Abstract

In regional development there is now a turn from top down to bottom up, from government to governance and from instrumental to communicative planning. Within the government structure, the instrumental planning ideal is dominating and is fitted to solve many of the problems the planning is facing as fare as we are talking about internal issues and efficiency. Communicative planning is a prerequisite for the governance structure based on partnerships between private, public and voluntary sectors, and local, regional, national and international levels. However, and in contrast to the government structure, the governance has to create its legitimacy, and therefore the process becomes very important in order to legitimate the governance structure. In the planning literature, there is now a growing understanding that the main challenge is not to choose between instrumental and the communicative planning approaches, but how to integrate them in the planning practice like Jing and Jang. From my point of view, the policy will formatting process or communicative action theory represents one very promising way of integrating them, and in this paper and I shall discuss the theory as a fundament for a planning approach that can be called empowerment planning. I conclude the discussion that a planning process based on communicative action theory and that consists of institutional, strategic, tactical and operative planning can support the governance structure with the needed legitimacy.