I. Introduction:
Sociology is the science that studies
society at both a micro and macro level , analyzing it's evolution , identifying
the elements that are responsible for social disorder and most important ,
designing strategies meant to neutralize it .
The science of sociology uses a wide
variety of methods , of theoretical and experimental nature , that mixed
together help us to make a accurate
drawing of the a group's framework . A
framework can be defined as the as the fundamental elements that a group
relied on when it constructed it's cultural identity , those the framework is
the most static component . It is the
concept that describes a group's
hierarchical configuration :leadership, subordination , responsibility , power
struggle ,group exclusion , positive and negative sanctions.
Praxeological analysis is more effective when it comes to shedding
light on the nature of human action thus giving us valuable explanation for
the causes and effects of action performed by a group's members. The focus of
this paper is to describe the impact that a group of natural and human factors
had in the evolution of the most isolated human community in the world:
Edinburg of the Seven Seas from the Island of Tristan da Cunha.
This community numbers only
246 members and is positioned on
the island of Tristan da Cunha , the biggest island of the archipelago with the
same name , that has the statute of B.O.T. (British Overseas Territory) .
The concept mentioned earlier will help
us understand the framework of the island's community , the role that each
member plays , the natural factors that have impact on their lives and way in
which this factors configured the
island's legislation . The small number
of inhabitants gives the tristanian society a interesting set o characteristic
:
- society's polarization is reduced :
- a better circulation of information .
- easiness when implementing social
policies.
- better control over crime and deviance .
II Impact of marine
environmental factors on social behavioral patters and identity.
It is a
very well known fact that the natural environment can play a huge role in
shaping a individual's personality ,
people who live in remote communities
,as the ones from Tristan da Cunha , tend to have a limited range of social representations
making their integration in big urban centers quite difficult
The lives of the tristanians is dependent on the sea , we notice that even if
the inhabitants have a limited set of social representations related to big
urban centers , they have a wide variety
of social representations related to the marine world.
1The primary economic activity is fishing followed by agriculture
, a interesting fact that we must highlight here is the division of
labor among the islanders , the workers of the fishing industry is led by men as for farming , there both men and
women work side by side. Men also are members in the local government or have
administrative jobs within the institution ,
this labor division characterizes the traditional nature of the
tristanians.
A patriarchal society in which men hold
managerial position and women do "the easy work".
Socialization is easier for children who
grow up in such a community , behavioral patterns are more homogeneous , social norms have a bigger stability in time
and the pressure to conform is higher .
The mixture of this factors can create a
series of negative aspects as well :
rigidity , lack of evolution , traditionalism
and paranoia.
Health : The marine air is for generation
a endless source of health for the island's inhabitants , no major epidemics where ever registered in
Edinburg of the Seven Seas , a great contribution to the islanders health is the cold marine air of the South Atlantic.
The air in this region of the world lacks
impurities such as dust molecules or other impurities that can cause diseases of the lungs
and respiratory system. The air
and water temperature are other
important factor , having a oceanic
climate , Tristan da Cunha has a balanced temperature regime having a
beneficial effect on the general state of health of the inhabitants.
II. Symbolism and representations
2Any community has a unique cultural identity , over the course of time
this identity was translated in to symbols such as flags or coat of arms . In
the coat of arms of Tristan da Cunha all
the elements are linked to the marine environment. Two Tristan rock lobsters
are featured in the design , being a species indigenous to the island, it is not surprising that it was picked as a
element of the design . All the elements present in the coat of arms have very
strong social representations in the island's culture thus the inhabitants can quick links between the elements present
in the coat of arms which overlap with
certain aspects of their lives.
lll .Tristan da Cunha's maritime legislation
Laws regarding the maritime sector unfold mainly from once source:
The constitution of Saint Helena ,
Ascension and Tristan da Cuhna , which has chapters dedicated to subjects as
environment protection , water
transport and employment.
Each territory has its own legislation
which is based on the english common law but with differences primarily formed
by the territories geographical position which is the main factor that shapes
it's economy , population structure and
a series of other aspects. The main issues that the maritime law of the
territory of Saint Helena , Ascension and Tristan da Cunha focuses on are the
following:
Taking in consideration that this
overseas territory , like many others , is composed only of islands scatered in
the waters of the Mid and South Atlantic , we can easily understand that each of this chapters will make references
to some of maritime law's objects of study.
1. Delimitation of territorial waters
- The territorial waters extend 200
nautical miles (370 km) from the island's
baselines..
2.
regulation in the fishing industry.
3. water transport and harbor administration .
llla .Future perspectives for the progress of Tristan da Cuhna’s economy.
As
a result of the constitutional changes
that took place in 2009 , the three islands groups that made up Saint Helena and Depencies were given equal
status within the territory. The most
visible effect of this change was a
greater authonomy for Ascension and Tristan da Cunha .
Management strategies for community
development were quickly designed in order
to create a economic balance between Saint Helena , which was more developed do
to its status of administrative center of the territory , and the other two island groups .
1 Efficient maritime management will have a crucial importance for the development of
a local economy on Tristan da Cunha , this branch of the science of management
tries to developed effective economic strategies in following areas : exploitation of marine natural resources , environment
protection , water transport and harbor administration . In order to contour the possible
directions that the tristanian economy may take in the future , we must analyze the
areas of interest for the vast domain of maritime management and
to extract from each one
information that will be useful for the design of public policies for the island
:
1.expoitation of natural marine resources : Tristan da Cunha has a well preserved marine space , this is a result of the fact that the island’s economy is not exclusively based on fishing , the main
economical sectors are : agriculture ,fishing
, services , shipping and tourism .Goods that aren’t
produces on the island are usually imported from Saint Helena or
the United Kingdom .
The diversification of Tristan da Cunha’s
economy came as a
response to the
growing importance of
modern technology in the traditional economic activities of the
islanders thus traditional
activities as fishing became more
efficient with the used of the latest
digital mapping devices on
bord of fishing vessels .
The processing of fish products got
easier do to the use of various automated tools
and modern modern food processing
techniques , as a result fish products became safer and meet the international
regulations for export to other countries.
2. Protection of the environment
: The island experienced a few natural
hazards until the present but in most of the cases there were no reported human deaths ,the
results were most of the times just material losses . The eruption of Queen Mary’s Peak in 1961 when the hole population was
evacuated , they returned to the island in 1963 . The eruption of the vulcano was one of the very few noticeble
natural hazards in island’s history ,
other less important hazards were
represented by cyclones and fires.
For
a better prediction of natural phenomena
and environmental protection the local guverment should invest in the
construction of a monitoziation base on
the island that would use advamced monitorization technology to spot
instabilities in aer circulation that may generate powerful winds , storms or
cyclones . The monitorization base could also detect any polution in the sea
water and trasmit valuable information about any possible dangers to ships that
passing through the territorial waters.
3. Water transport and harbor administration : 1Water transpor through
the territorial waters of Tristan da Cunha was reduced significantly since the
opening of the Suez Canal . Having just a
small fishing harbor in the town of Edinbrugh of the Seven Seas , the island
dosn’t represent a interest for big ships that
pass near by . The harbor from
the island’s only settlement can acommodate
small passenger ships and fishing
vessles .
The
administration of Edinburgh of the Seven
Seas’s little harbor is the
responsability of the local goverment , until the present the harbor was mainly
used by fishing vessles , small
passenger ships and ships that bring correspondence to the island. Water transport in the territorial waters of
Saint Helena , Ascension and Tristan da Cunha is regulated by british and
international maritime law norms.
Conclusions:
1. The public policies designed by the island’s concil
encouraged the development of a balanced local economy .
2.
Edinbrugh of the Seven Seas harbor is designed only to acommodate
fishing vessles and small passenger ships.
3.
Tristan da Cunha lost its strategic importance after the opening of the
Suez Canal ,
4.
Before 2009 Tristan da Cunha and Ascension had the status of
dependencies of Saint Helena , in 2009
they receved equal status within the territory which changed its name in to
Saint Helena , Ascension and Tristan da Cunha.
5.
Tristan da Cunha is the only inhabited island archipelago with the same
name , the only settlement of the island is the little town of Edinburgh of the
Seven Seas.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
1. British Overseas Territories Law , Ian Hendry and
Susan Dickson , UK , Hart Publishing , 2011 .
2. The English of Tristan da Cunha , Arne Zettersten, UK:
Echo Library, 2005.
3. Alexander Cotton from Hull to Head man of Tristan Da
Cunha .
4. The Tristan da Cunha Island (author unknown).
5. Traditional Marine Management Areas of the Pacific in the Context of
National and International Law and
Policy , Marjo Vierros, Alifereti
Tawake, Francis Hickey, Ana Tiraa, Rahera Noa , United Nations University –
Institute for Advenced Studies , 2010
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