A Study on the Carrying Capacity Evaluation Model for Sustainable Island Developments

Abstract

Sustainable development is based on the coexistence of man and nature. This means that the natural environment has limits to its capacity to accommodate humanity, so human activities that use it must be controlled to stay within the natural environment's capacity range. Since the island area is remote from the mainland and has a limited supply of water and electricity, access to the island should be considered due to environmental damage and isolation, and development land and carryin capacity should be considered, especially due to the island's narrowness. Because the island, an isolated space surrounded by water, communicates with the inland around the port, the flow and boundaries of people and goods are strictly defined. With these characteristics, the concept of capacity is more easily applied to islands than to other regions, has more meaning, and can be a useful tool for assessing sustainability. As a result, this study proposed the introduction of the concept of island carrying capacity as a planned management means for maintaining a certain level of quality of life and the long-term development of islanders, as well as a theoretical discussion of the island carrying capacity evaluation system. This aids in understanding the traces of human activity, the relationship between carrying capacity and sustainable development, and can eventually provide policymakers and planners with hints for developing appropriate strategies and action plans to manage the island area in a planned manner.