Sustainable local development on Aegean Islands: a meta-analysis of the literature –

Abstract

Sustainable local development is central to debates on socioeconomic and environmental change. Although the meaning of sustainable local development is disputed, the concept is frequently applied to island cases. Studies have recently been made of many local development initiatives in different contexts, with various methods and results. These experiences can provide valuable input on planning, managing, and evaluating sustainable local development on islands. This paper provides a literature review of positive and negative examples of sustainable local development for the Aegean Islands, Greece. Out of an initial 1,562 papers, 80 papers made the final selection based on theme, empirical approach, and recency. The results demonstrate a wide thematic variety in research topics, with tourism, agriculture, and energy being the most frequent themes, while integrated frameworks are largely absent. The literature includes a wide range of methods, from quantitative approaches with indicators and indexes to qualitative assessments, which blurs overall assessments in many instances.

Enhancing island tourism's local benefits: A proposed community‐based tourism‐oriented general model

“…Grydehøj and Kelman (2017) talk of “eco‐island traps.” Despite differences in the natural environment, the type of culture, and level of development, islands share common characteristics that influence their so‐called vulnerability to dysfunction in relation to tourism. The most important characteristics are presented below. Isolation—problems with transport (to and within the island) (Polydoropoulou & Litinas, 2007; Spilanis et al, 2009; Levy & Panou, 2010; Karampela et al, 2017). For hundreds of years transport problems have determined the isolation and separateness of most islands.…”

“…Traveling to specific islands with a tour operator can be less expensive/faster/easier than booking the flight on one's own (e.g., Samos, the Aegean Islands). A special situation occurs when the destination is not accessible by air transport, or the cost of travel is very high (e.g., Greenland). Tightly knit, closed culture/social group (e.g., Vousdoukas et al, 2009; Karampela et al, 2017). The isolation and separateness of most islands contributed to the emergence of a tightly knit, closed type of culture (Spilanis & Karayiannis, 2009; Schwarz et al, 2011; Thornton, 2007).…”

Perceptions of Agritourism and Cooperation: Comparisons between an Island and a Mountain Region in Greece

“…Based on the assumption that destinations with different geographic characteristics have different features and products, two different destinations as for its accessibility and tourism recognition were selected for comparison: an island, and a lake in a mountainous region of Greece. The importance and development of agritourism on islands are understudied (especially in the Aegean Sea [23], where the island of this research is located) although they have been explored in detail by other authors [11]. Furthermore, the benefits of agritourism in mountainous areas have been broadly referred, e.g., [24] (especially its development in Greece [12,13]).…”

Inovação Social para o Desenvolvimento Sustentável: um caminho possível

“…Não existe uma única interpretação sobre o termo "desenvolvimento sustentável" (DS), visto que o referido é um conceito ainda em construção, constantemente revisado e aperfeiçoado (Soubbotina, 2004;Karampela, Papazoglou, Kizos, & Spilanis, 2017 (Riordan, 1995;Veiga, 2005, Mitchell & Dorling, 2003, por ser entendida como opção deliberada de uma estratégia de institucionalização da problemática ambiental no âmbito das organizações internacionais e dos governos nacionais (Veiga, 2005).…”