ABS 008: Protecting our Island Nations: A Journey to Coastal Resiliency

Ryan Tao ¹

¹ New York University, NY, USA

Van Wickle (2025) Volume 1, ABS 008

Introduction: Climate change creates coastal disasters and the need for coastal protection. The study of coastal resiliency is multifaceted: it comprises considerations of culture, communities and their economic basis, and political structures. By examining two contrasting island states with surprisingly similar climatic and environmental conditions—Belize and Taiwan—this paper will investigate how coastal protection is being developed in distinct ways. Cultural conditions drastically influence the way each country is handling its coastal challenges. Through its economic reliance on tourism, Belize is highly susceptible to lack of control by local government, gentrification, and unsolicited degradation of the environment — and, consequently, has less of an ability of investing into the development of coastal defense, such as complex and costly ocean management plans or physical seawalls, than Taiwan. However, the question of how and why this is the case - different history, governmental action, and social structuring - stems much deeper into colonialism, societal insecurity, and the destruction that hurricanes like Iris in 2001 can wreak—not just on the physical environment, but also on the community ties of Belize. On the other hand, Taiwan is an economically powerful country, ranking 14th in GDP, little of which derives from tourism or coastal economy. Taiwan is therefore able to craft its cultural cultural identity—not through the same forces (natural disasters) as Belize, but rather through a reliance on innovation. This paper will then use this analysis to explore potential solutions for both areas, seeking a balance in coastal protection.

Methods: With the influx of coastal disasters and the impending need for coastal retreat, what options do our coastal nations have to continue maintaining their communities and livelihood? This research investigates a comparative analysis of two critical island nations: one developed (Taiwan) and one less so (Belize), to address the challenges faced by island and coastal nations, and to propose structural and community based solutions. Examination of cultural nuances and historical factors that have shaped coastal resiliency holds major significance today . This paper will reference external research, observations, interviews, and coastal mapping to reach a conclusion.

Results: Zoning and planning for Belize are a long-term fix but they take relatively long time periods to implement in areas that are already built out. Therefore, putting a grid or creating more formal zoning methods will not work. There are less invasive fixes though that can work. Incremental changes will allow Belize to be improved without tainting the existing urban fabric. Planning for Belize properly by creating specified historic zones, natural reserves, residential and commercial districts, concessions for art, concessions for parks, set parking areas, bike paths, and building regulations such as restricting development sizes can preserve the local urban fabric of the city. However, there also need to be short term solutions to protect the environment and community from entering a point of no return and recovery. Ultimately, the effects of tourism on Belize can be slowly mitigated through the empowerment of local governments to establish zoning and other preventive measures. Belize rather than bending to the capitalistic impact and deterioration of cultural and environmental resources tied to tourist dollars and ultimately avoiding the equivalent of Neo-Colonialism.

Conclusions: The Tale of Two Coasts is a critical section of this paper that will examine what truly sets the coasts of Taiwan and Belize apart. In The Wretched of the Earth, Frantz Fanon emphasizes that “for a colonized people, the most essential value, because the most concrete, is first and foremost the land: the land which will bring them bread and, above all, dignity” (insert citation). In the tale of two coasts, we see that the land itself distinguishes the two countries. The way people interact with the land is shaped by various societal, political, and economic pressures, both external and internal. We have already established that the two coastal regions are marked by distinct characteristics, and this section will further explore these differences.