The traditional way of life on small islands throughout the word is in danger.
This paper, a case study of Ilovik, one particular small island in the Adriatic Sea, examines
how negative demographic trends impact socio-economic and environmental
processes and present special challenges to planning and implementing sustainable
development. The primary research was conducted by collecting survey responses
from the island’s residents for two weeks in mid-June of 2011 on their current socioeconomic
status, the natural environment, the residents’ and vacation home owners’
perception of tourism, the government’s impact on socio-economic change, and the
perception of the influence of the EU on future development. The results were analyzed
and compared with the official data from government sources (censuses and
live statistics). The analysis was performed with the central goal of examining the
current sustainability of Ilovik and providing an understanding of its future fragile development
perspectives which would depend on the population recovery and further
increase of employment opportunities, always bearing in mind the delicate ecosystem
and the unique cultural heritage of the small island.