RESOURCE DEPENDENCY AND DEVELOPMENT OPTIONS IN COASTAL SOUTHEAST-ASIA

The concept of resource dependency has been used to describe the relat ionship between community stability and a variety of natural resource systems. Resource-dependent communities frequently are described as be ing vulnerable to externally induced changes because of their reliance on a single resource system. Most of the literature on this topic has focused on North America. In this article, the concept of resource de pendency is applied to the coastal zone of Southeast Asia. Resource de pendency in this context takes on a very different form due to the com plexity and high natural productivity of tropical coastal ecosystems. These conditions create multiple economic niches for coastal residents , thus providing an important measure of community stability within th e coastal resource system. This stability is being challenged by devel opment policies that promote economic specialization-the classic pitfa ll of resource-dependent communities. An alternative ecosystem approac h to coastal community development is proposed.