Includes - Ecology, spacing mechanisms and adaptive behaviour in Aboriginal land tenure, by Joseph B. Birdsell, catalogued separately.

"With the inevitable lessening of the importance of traditional forms of management of land and water resources in Pacific island countries accompanying the development of the state and the internationalisation of these economies, common property problems have arisen in many natural resource areas. 'This publication covers many of the problem areas which have arisen and discusses various approaches to better management"--Foreword.

Land tenure arrangements are intimately linked with the organization of society, the economy, political structures and geography. In the South Pacific Islands the majority of land is held by community groups under 'customary' or 'traditional' forms of tenure. This book argues that land formerly held in common is now often controlled and used exclusively by individuals or nuclear families - it is being privatized. Detailed case studies demonstrate these trends in Western Samoa, Tonga, Vanuatu and Fiji. Parallels are noted from Asia, Europe and Africa, where comparable forces of commercialization, individualization and socio-political change have brought comparable results. The denial of these trends by policy makers in the region reflects an interest in maintaining the image of traditionalism and its associated status and power. The divergence between rhetoric and reality creates dilemmas for many Pacific Islanders and their leaders.

"Women's role in land matters was generally second to that of their menfolk - even in traditionally matrilineal societies. Christianity, commerce and centralized governmment led to some changes and further adaptation is in progress. This book of studies by women from two Melanesia societies (Fiji and Vanuatu) and three Polynesian (Tonga, Samoa and the Cook Islands) is the first to focus on this topic of growing importance to Pacific women."--Back cover.