Transcending the past : evaluating natural resource management planning and climate change policy in Tonga

The Kingdom of Tonga historically is a class-structured society. The 1875 Constitution confirmed the Kings liberation of commoners from chiefly authority, as well as legalising private land tenure. The following Land Act of 1927 then prescribed strict rules for land acquisition through the Minister for Lands who is the sole representative of the Crown in all matters concerning land and sea in the Kingdom. Tongas current environmental and natural resource management framework as a consequence is founded in these two Acts, which basically sets out the constitutional and administrative structure that established the modern land and marine tenure as practiced today. More importantly, political perceptions, the supporting institutions, and the resource management structure that has evolved are a reflection of this past and of priorities at the time. Consistent with deductions of Environment and Development theory, elevation of the economy and raising the standard of living to a more affluent level was of utmost priority. The complication created here is that the countrys priorities have shifted with time, assisted by the increasing global focus on sustainable development and emergent issues such as global climate change. However in light of overwhelming economic pressures to develop, the current natural resource management framework with its inherent legacies although evolving through recent national reform can be deemed inept and lacking the capacity to adequately address these issues. Hopefully this thesis will fundamentally contribute to the current reform process and aid the Tongan Government in ensuring that potential development initiatives are provided the proper sustainable vision, direction and guidelines in light of a changing paradigm. The natural resource management policy-planning framework developed will more importantly be knowledgeable in objectively integrating information from all disciplines into enhancing management of the environment from a critical and rational perspective