China's island management system based on qualitative content analysis: The choice between development and conservation

Due to its unique characteristics and positioning, the conservation and management of islands differ from those of mainland and marine environments. As a major maritime nation with over 11,000 islands, China's island policies reflect its comprehensive strategic needs in resource management, ecological protection, and economic development, while also illustrating the profound influence of global climate change and international marine governance on national interests, giving these policies their distinctiveness. Therefore, this study constructs a qualitative content analysis process, focusing on China's island management policies, with the aim of systematically interpreting policy texts to conduct a comprehensive analysis, revealing the evolution and characteristics of China's island management system, as well as identifying new challenges ahead. This approach provides a fresh perspective on integrated island management. Through analysis, we identified three key themes in China's island management: island development, ecological protection, and legal governance. From a longitudinal perspective, China's island management has shifted from an initial focus on development to increasingly emphasizing ecological protection. As island governance policies are gradually introduced, other management measures have also been continuously implemented, including conducting comprehensive national island resource surveys, establishing and developing nature reserves related to islands, undertaking island ecosystem restoration, and incorporating island management into unified national spatial planning. These efforts have progressively advanced China's island management toward greater specialization and legal governance. A horizontal comparison of island management systems reveals that, in China, economic development is often prioritized, especially on islands with significant development potential. This is fundamentally driven by the current stage of economic development and resource demands. Therefore, exploring a path that balances economic development with ecological protection has become a key highlight of China's island management. Over time, new challenges have emerged due to changing environmental conditions, such as sea level rise and increased extreme weather events exacerbating the vulnerability of island ecosystems and disaster risks. Strengthening island climate adaptation requires the establishment of early warning systems for extreme weather and sea level rise, enhancing flood defenses, and restoring natural ecosystems such as mangroves, coral reefs, and wetlands, which serve as protective barriers against climate risks. • A qualitative content analysis framework for island resource management is proposed. • Three main themes of island management in China are identified. • The enhancement of cognition plays a driving role in promoting island management. • The issuance of supportive policies enhances the effectiveness of island management.