Land, custom, and practice in the South Pacific

Land tenure arrangements are intimately linked with the organisation of society, the economy (particularly to land use), the political structure and the geography of most countries. The majority of land in all South Pacific Island countries remains under 'customary' or 'traditional' forms of tenure in which land is normally held by a community group. This book argues that many parts of the region are in the midst of a major transformation in the way in which land is allocated and held by owners and users. These changes are closely related to concurrent changes in the demography and socio-political organisation. These analysts discuss here how traditional tenure and contemporary practice frequently diverge; how custom has been sometimes invented (and re-invented) and is a source of potential tension; how discordance between 'development' and 'tradition' in relation to land tenure is increasing. Reform of customary and codified systems to match current needs could result in major modifications of the social, economic and geographic character of Pacific Island countries.