Island vulnerabilities : a research strategy for the assessment of perception of island communities in the Maldives

Abstract

Vulnerability is a complex concept that embraces different factors including social, economic, cultural and environmental components (Baldacchino, 2012). The correlation between vulnerability and environmental threats depends on the geographical conditions of the specific islands rather than on general assumptions. For small Island or archipelagic states the geographical conditions are not determined only by their size and location but possibly even by their remoteness and fragmentation.