Understanding Land Issues and Their Impact on Tourism Development

Access to land is a primary requirement for tourism development. In the Federated States of Micronesia, the limited land area, the growing population, and the increasing economic activities in the region have placed greater pressure on the traditional landownership and the need to improve security of rights, land management, and investment policies.

What can be done

The complex landownership systems and intricate political and cultural behavior that have been there for centuries may be impossible to uproot; however, community involvement and fragility-sensitive approaches could be considered in the short or medium term so as not to do harm when planning and implementing development reforms particularly in tourism. In the long term, and depending on the government’s commitment and the presence of political will, land and institutional reforms may be considered to advance the productive use of land and to address the remaining weaknesses of land use and management system.