Due to their geographic position, their history and their belonging to France, and more recently Europe, Martinique and Guadeloupe are singular worlds within the Lesser Antilles. Despite strong ecological, historical, ethnic and cultural similarities with other islands in the archipelago (English and Dutch), notable differences exist from both an economic and a space management point of view. The consequences on the biophysical environment resulting from this phenomenon and are also unequal. Martinique and Guadeloupe, located between the two Americas, overpopulated and exposed to telluric, climatic and ecological risks, benefit from a large panoply of laws and funding relative to environmental, national and European strategies. Political responsibilities and management competencies are effective at all societal levels. Nevertheless, development necessities lead to increased anthropization. This latter reduces ecosystems\' capacity for resilience and increases the impacts of natural hazards. All nature of risks which result hinder economic development. How then to reconcile development and the preservation of environments in small, biologically rich, densely populated areas which are exposed to multiple risks (both natural and anthropic)?