Land, Water and Marine Tenure

Abstract

Land and marine tenures in the Pacific were once only guided by diverse traditional customs and precedents, including the itineraries of Pacific peoples and the power relationships between existing inhabitants and new arrivals, which could be conflictual or accommodating. Today they are covered by many laws across the independent nations and dependent territories of the region. In practice, it is not a case of some areas being covered by formal law and others by custom, because most Pacific land and water is influenced by both in varying degrees. There are a range of forces that impact access to land, discussed in the chapter. This third edition of the chapter includes new material on New Ca..