La Unidad de análisis desde la perspectiva de la Gestión Documental

Respondents in Unst made it clear that the existence of adequate island infrastructure is essential to maintaining a satisfactory quality of life across the community. Specifically, they highlighted transport and communications infrastructures as being crucial to everyday life in Unst. In terms of transport, respondents explained that access to interisland ferries is vital for sustaining livelihoods and is a significant factor in the routine of many community members. Interisland ferries are utilised on a daily basis for purposes such as commuting to

Lives and

Livelihoods

Infrastructure

Communications

Infrastructure

and InternetTelephone

Transport

Infrastructure

Ferry

Disruption

Damaged

Roads

Energy

Infrastructure

Power Cuts

Island

Sustainability

Industries and

Economy

Depopulation

Cultural

Heritage

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work and school in other parts of Shetland as well as being used for the importation or exportation of commodities. However, participants reported that interisland ferries have been unable to operate during storms and severe gales leading to negative consequences for the community; problems with employment, the potential for reduced income, and the inability to export fresh produce such as seafood are some examples of the challenges faced. Participants were concerned that increased disruption to interisland ferry services in future, as a consequence of storms and severe gales, could have a detrimental effect on the livelihoods of individuals and on the wider economy of Unst. Access to interisland transport infrastructure is fundamental to sustaining lives and livelihoods in Unst, and is therefore a key community priority for adaptation.

Likewise, respondents highlighted the importance of communications infrastructure for maintaining lives and livelihoods in Unst. In this context, the

term ‘communications’ refers to the use of telephone and Internet. The matter was

flagged as a troublesome issue, particularly during and after severe gales in Unst. Respondents highlighted that existing telephone and Internet services are largely poor quality at the best of times: storms exacerbate a pre-existing problem with services remaining unavailable for prolonged periods of time following severe gales. They explained that many community members rely on telephone and Internet as part of their livelihoods, with increased proportions of the community working remotely. Furthermore, participants expressed concern that being left without a means of communication during and after storms has had a generally detrimental effect on the daily lives of community members. Participants acknowledged that the demand for high quality communications services has increased within their community over recent decades and accepted that poor service might be “part of the package” of living in Unst. However, they felt that the response of communications agencies could be improved directly following storm events to minimise negative outcomes. In terms of sustaining population on the island into the future, participants remarked that problems with transport and communications could eventually discourage people from living in Unst, potentially exacerbating depopulation. Consequently, they viewed the maintenance and improvement of island infrastructure as fundamental to sustaining lives and livelihoods in Unst.

In South Uist, participants highlighted the importance of supporting and developing the local industries of crofting and tourism in order to sustain and enhance livelihoods across the island. Respondents reported that drainage of farmland has been a major issue for crofters across South Uist. An increased occurrence of precipitation at unseasonal times of the year, coupled with poor drainage, has resulted in waterlogged farmland and difficulties for harvesting. Respondents explained that national farming subsidy regulations mean that the Scottish Government enforces strict harvest dates for crofters. However, respondents argued that the rigidity of dates was counterproductive to supporting crofting in South Uist, particularly due to difficulties harvesting on specific dates brought on by drainage issues.

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Take the example of last year where the ploughing was about six weeks later for your basic arable. And the [Scottish] Government’s agricultural

department has fixed dates. They set the dates in Edinburgh with no understanding that if the drainage system is not sufficient and places are

waterlogged, you can’t plough on time and you have to go and get special permissions and all that. Or if you’re ready to harvest and you do it a day early

then you lose your subsidy. It’s this absolute rigidity of dates. It impacts on

crofting. The rigidity out of the department is surreal, especially in a community like this where people can identify whether they are ready to

harvest. And if you’re three days early from the date then you lose all your

money, but you want to keep your harvest. If you wait for the date then you’ve

lost the harvest because it floods or something else happens. When did farming start to go by a list of book dates that didn’t use the farmer’s

experience?

South Uist Participant Storas Uibhist Focus Group Participants indicated that Storas Uibhist has been generally successful in their efforts to improve drainage within the island, although the scope of the problem means that more remains to be done. Tourism is also a major industry in South Uist according to participants. They expressed the desire to attract increased numbers of tourists to South Uist in order to support the local economy. However, they felt that threats to tourism, such as the degradation of the machair as a source of tourist interest, could have a detrimental effect on the island economy. It is evident that supporting local industries in order to sustain the island economy is a significant community priority for maintaining and enhancing island lives and livelihoods in South Uist.

Transport infrastructure is also an important aspect of community life within South Uist. Respondents described the importance of maintaining good quality roads across the island. Specifically, road links between the islands of Benbecula, South Uist and Eriskay are vital to allow the efficient movement of the community between these locations. Causeways currently comprise all of the road links between the aforementioned islands. Participants believed that, due to experiences of increasingly frequent flooding of roads, it would be advantageous to invest in maintaining roads throughout South Uist. As mentioned previously in Section 5.3, the South Ford causeway remains a source of concern and anxiety within the community. Respondents are keen to see adaptive action undertaken on the causeway: a feature that is viewed by many as a high-risk road link. It is clear that respondents want to maintain a convenient direct road link between South Uist and Benbecula but would like to see adaptive alterations in order to increase feelings of safety and security. Evidently, maintaining and adapting roads infrastructure, especially road links between neighbouring islands, is a high priority for the South Uist community to allow for continued interisland movement thus sustaining contemporary ways of life.

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Like the South Uist community, Westray participants illustrated the significance of local industries in relation to sustaining lives and livelihoods on the island. Respondents indicated that farming and tourism also form the main industries in Westray, as well as a range of local businesses that were deemed to be important for the island economy such as a seafood processing company, a bakery and a hotel. Participants discussed the climate-related challenges for farming, tourism and local businesses. Poor drainage around the island, related to increased precipitation, has resulted in waterlogged farmland leading to challenges for managing and feeding livestock with knock-on financial effects. Furthermore, local flooding at the coast in Pierowall and Broughton has resulted in the inundation of homes and businesses leading to negative consequences for lives and livelihoods. Respondents explained that recent flooding in Pierowall was due to poor drainage rather than being attributed to a climatic hazard. However, they made it clear that increased coastal flooding in future would be detrimental to those living and working in Pierowall and Broughton. In terms of tourism, participants were worried about the potentially adverse effects of increasing coastal erosion along tourist walking routes. They stressed that walking routes are a significant draw for tourists and were concerned that degradation of these routes could result in decreased tourist rates for the island, thus causing a detrimental effect on the island economy. Respondents made it clear that the stability of local industries is fundamental to sustaining the lives and livelihoods of the community. Therefore, adapting to the impacts of climate change is crucial for maintaining key industries and thus preserving the economy of Westray.

Respondents believed that the types of industries present on the island could have a significant impact on population levels. Encouraging community members to remain living in Westray, and attracting new incomers, was highlighted as a priority for tackling depopulation and preserving the viability of the island into the future. Some participants suggested that transforming Westray in terms of enhancing current industries and creating new opportunities for prosperity could add to the appeal of living there.

I think the priority is probably the population. I think people are acutely

aware that the population has been held, possibly grown a little. It’s things

like the youth – encourage them and support them because otherwise the

school ends up with smaller numbers and then that deteriorates. It’s really

about preserving the population and not just subsidising them.

Westray Participant WDT Focus Group They believed that maintaining and enhancing livelihoods and improving the quality of life in Westray are vital elements for safeguarding the future of the island. It is evident that sustaining the current population, as well as preserving the longevity of the island in the long-term, is a major priority in Westray.

Additionally, cultural heritage was identified as a central aspect of community lives and livelihoods in Westray. Respondents felt that the cultural

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heritage of Westray, specifically archaeology, was important in an educational sense as well as boosting the economy through tourism. They believed that maintaining and enhancing unique cultural assets could have a positive impact on tourism and the island economy as well as being of educational interest to the wider public. In particular, it was highlighted that a range of archaeological sites in Westray are currently at risk of being degraded by coastal erosion. Monitoring and recording these areas is a priority for upholding local cultural heritage values. Respondents felt that archaeology in Westray is often overlooked on funding and planning agendas. Some participants suggested that this might be attributed to the aesthetic unattractiveness of the sites in comparison to other more aesthetically appealing heritage spots such as castles. However, participants stressed that the monitoring and maintenance of archaeological sites is vital to understanding and preserving the cultural identity of Westray.

5.4.2. Interpretation

The maintenance and enhancement of lives and livelihoods is undoubtedly important across all three case studies. Sustaining a satisfactory quality of life is fundamental for all three communities. In particular, the sustainability of lifestyles - where it is possible to continue current ways of life related to, for example, transport, employment and economic productivity of local sectors – was important in all three communities. However, the priorities for sustaining island lifestyles are not uniform across the cases. Each community prioritises a unique combination of factors for upholding lives and livelihoods despite some instances of overlap. The Unst community prioritises staying connected to areas outwith the island through reliable transport and communications infrastructures. Transport infrastructure is also important in South Uist in terms of retaining safe fixed road links between neighbouring islands, as well as the preservation of local industries. The Westray community value local industries in a similar manner to respondents in South Uist. Cultural heritage is also a significant priority in Westray but was not alluded to in any other case study community.

Community priorities are similar in some instances such as the importance of sustaining local sectors and preserving key industries in South Uist and Westray. Both communities face similar challenges for farming related to waterlogged land and poor drainage with the potential for adverse economic consequences. The high prioritisation of local industries in South Uist and Westray is motivated by the desire to maintain and enhance the island economy in order to sustain good qualities of life in each community. However, the Unst community rarely mentioned the maintenance of local industries and it was clear that this was not a significant priority for adapting to the impacts of climate change. Unlike Westray, the community in Unst were largely concerned with maintaining connections outwith the island through both interisland transport and telecommunications. The South Uist community also prioritised the existence of transport links between neighbouring islands with an emphasis on the safe use of causeways. The prominent reliance on interisland transport could be unique to remote island communities like Unst and South Uist where access to other islands is a crucial part of daily life.

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Despite some similarities across the case studies, the motivations driving the priorities of each community are fundamentally different. Priorities for maintaining lives and livelihoods in Unst are motivated by the geographic peripheral location of the island and the need to maintain external connections for economic security and access to commodities. The South Uist community also prioritise staying connected geographically through interisland transport but the focus is more on the safety of causeways as road links. This is plainly motivated by the consequences of the 2005 storm. Although sustaining local industries was important in both South Uist and Westray, the motivations in South Uist were largely based around maintaining a strong island economy whereas the Westray community explicitly explained that demographic sustainability was the key driver behind their motivations to enhance existing local industries and create new attractive opportunities. Demographic sustainability was emphasised strongly in Westray with the concern that depopulation could reduce the capacity of the community to function in a socially sustainable way. This issue was less prevalent in the other communities. It is evident that each case study community faces unique climatic and non-climatic challenges for preserving island lives and livelihoods.

5.4.3. Summary

All in all, the maintenance and enhancement of island lives and livelihoods is a crucial priority for all three case study communities. However, it is important to note the differing motivations that influence the high prioritisation of lives and livelihoods across the cases. Adaptation planning that considers not only lives and livelihoods as a general priority, but that recognises the potential for important unique community values across small island settings, could be beneficial in the long-term. The existence of sustainable lifestyles and secure livelihoods could provide a solid foundation for applying adaptive measures in small island settings. If communities feel secure in their livelihoods and economies, then they might feel better equipped to deal with climate challenges. Successful adaptation could happen if island lives and livelihoods were supported and enhanced. Furthermore, effective adaptation could happen if issues of demographic and social sustainability were dealt with in adaptation planning. Communities could be safeguarded and supported through adaptation that specifically addresses the consequences of climate change for their lives and livelihoods. Essentially, societal and environmental issues are intertwined and, therefore, adaptation cannot be separated from broader social issues.