Towards Comprehensive Policy Integration for the Sustainability of Small Islands: A Landscape-Scale Planning Approach for the Galápagos Islands

Recent policy reforms in the Galápagos Islands have strengthened provincial governance and introduced landscape-scale planning, but significant gaps remain. The study reveals that while institutional arrangements now better address socio-ecological and land-sea management challenges, fragmented conservation-development approaches between local and provincial governments persist, alongside policy inconsistencies. These limitations hinder comprehensive policy integration—critical for achieving sustainable development in insular ecosystems. The research analyzed legal and planning documents to assess their support for integrated governance, highlighting the need for more cohesive, multi-level coordination to address pressing socio-ecological issues effectively.

Pazmiño, A., Serrao-Neumann, S., & Low Choy, D. (2018). Towards Comprehensive Policy Integration for the Sustainability of Small Islands: A Landscape-Scale Planning Approach for the Galápagos Islands. Sustainability, 10(4), 1228. https://doi.org/10.3390/su10041228