Squatting in Solomon Islands

Solomon Islands is an island country in Oceania. The amount of land that is native or customary land is high: it was estimated by one report to be 97 per cent in 2005^[1] and by another to be 87 per cent, in 2008.^[2] Squatting in the capital Honiara (on the island of Guadalcanal) began when it was founded after World War II. Migrants were attracted to the new capital by the prospects of education and employment, living in informal settlements.^[3]: 98 The government attempted to manage the housing issue by licensing land, but after the system broke down people began to squat instead. By 1987 there were 16 squatted villages with around 2,000 inhabitants.^[3]: 99 The Ministry of Lands and Survey reported in 2006 that there were 17,000 squatters.^[4] The settlements are constructed without a connection to electricity or sanitation, no roads and no drainage.^[5] A 2009 survey of over 200 squatter households stated that the main form of income was either unskilled labour or selling betel nuts and cigarettes. It studied four settlements: one near the centre of Honiara, one in West Honiara, one near Honiara International Airport and one where the Matanikau River meets the sea.^[6]