In the Solomon Islands and around the Pacific there is commonly a disconnect between government priorities for economic development through resource extraction and community aspirations for local resource management (such as commercial logging), conservation, and alternative pathways to livelihoods development, which includes tourism.

Commercial logging in Solomon Islands communities is contentious. Whilst government seeks to develop its primary resources for export to earn foreign currency to enable imports of fuel and consumer goods, and project proponents are keen to oblige, communities, which retain customary ownership and from whom permissions are required, remain divided between different livelihood development agendas, presenting policy challenges to government.

Key threatening processes from commercial logging include river pollution (siltation), which damages both water sources and marine habitats at the river mouths, and social pathologies, such as sex work and human exploitation, are also associated with logging and mining camps. To circumvent community antipathy, logging and mining developers seek permissions on a piecemeal basis, with poor standards of community disclosure and little regard to securing free, prior, informed consent.

Nowhere is this disconnect more stark than in communities on Rennell Island, within the region’s oldest inscribed World Heritage area. These communities have so far resisted extractive industry development but have not yet benefited from inscription. Annual tourism visitation can often be counted on one (yes one) hand. Alternative livelihood opportunities compatible with a conservation economy are a priority.

Our research objective was to explore community aspirations and priorities. We used Q-methodology to reveal discourses associated with conservation, livelihoods generation, and drivers of well-being and then evaluated these aspirations in scenarios in a socio-ecological system.

Our research objective was to explore community aspirations and priorities. We used Q-methodology to reveal discourses associated with conservation, livelihoods generation, and drivers of well-being and then evaluated these aspirations in scenarios in a socio-ecological system.

We revealed three factors, each aligned with conservation and tourism development with clear opposition to extractive industries. Key differences focussed on immediate personal circumstances, attachment to kastomkastom Kastom is a pidgin word (Bislama/English) used to refer to traditional culture, including religion, economics, art and magic in Melanesia. The word derives from the Australian English pronunciation of 'custom'. Kastom is mostly not written, only passed down through teachings and stories and includes places, stories, objects and animals and plants., and food and water security. Our research points to clear support for the area’s continued conservation and for livelihood pathways that might secure this but low capacity to pursue this.

At the time of writing, most tribes had signed expressions of interest with the Solomon Islands Government to pursue protected area status for their customary forests under national legislation, which will contribute towards future removal of the World Heritage in-danger listing. However, our study and observations demonstrate this, on its own, will not inevitably, or spontaneously, bring improvements to livelihoods and well-being and that significant and ongoing policy support from the Solomon Islands Government is prerequisite.

Notwithstanding, the communities’ patience is wearing thin and there is growing cynicism about the role of World Heritage protection as a route towards livelihoods development. Rightly, or wrongly, the communities expected to benefit from their support for a nascent tourism sector, yet this has not transpired and is unlikely to without very significant support and investment from the national government to secure the road and commit to promoting Rennell as a destination; commitments from the national airline to improve air services and airfields; and supporting training and education institutions building the workforce capabilities – all of which are beyond the influence of the community.