When the National Trust for Scotland advertised for families to move to Fair Isle and Canna, it received hundreds of applications from people wanting to live their dream. The reality is almost always tougher than the most practical imagine. With remoteness comes fragility, yet the further away you are from central decision-making the less likely your particular needs are to be heard. It is good news for all of Scotland's island communities that 95,000 islanders have decided to form an alliance to push their concerns up the political pecking order. It is time their voices were heard.

It is no surprise that the first survey by the Scottish Islands Federation found that members want a commitment to ferry and air services to islands to be considered an extension of the national roads network. A commitment to lower ferry prices in the SNP manifesto was a factor in the party winning the marginal Western Isles constituency in May. A pilot scheme is to be set up to test the benefits of pricing ferry fares at a road equivalent tariff (RET), with options for the pilot due by the end of the year. In areas with small populations the cost is always likely to be high compared with the benefits, but the Highlands and Islands Transport Partnership has previously estimated that cutting the cost of ferry travel by 30% could generate 700 jobs and £22m per year.

In an age when tranquillity, traditional culture and a clean natural environment are increasingly valued, Scotland's islands are attractive holiday destinations. Tourism is a vital part of their economy, but can only succeed if the population can be sustained year-round. Over generations, islanders have become particularly resourceful and self-sufficent and are naturally uncomplaining, but in the 21st century they have a right to the same quality of services as the rest of the population. Without that, young people leave for education and work, leaving behind an ageing population less able to cope. The shadow of St Kilda hangs menacingly over communities finding it more difficult to sustain themselves.

Schemes such as that proposed last year by Highlands and Islands Enterprise, a "New Deal" or "Compact" to give people living on Scotland's islands broad equivalence with the mainland in terms of living costs and access to services, should be properly examined if depopulation is to be stemmed. That can happen by default when the demographic profile is altered by retired people in search of the good life taking the place of young people leaving in search of work. Wealthy incomers inflate house prices, compounding the trend. The key for many islands is new affordable housing. It can be done. The community buy-out of Gigha has attracted new families and resulted in new housing.

One of the most heartening aspects of modern Scotland is that so many islands are successfully attracting new people and new streams of income. The population of Orkney has been steadily rising, on Fair Isle nearly 29% of residents are under 16 and on Vatersay it is 32%. What must be avoided is applying one-size-fits-all mainland thinking to the huge variety of island needs. Whether the best way to achieve that is through a government minister with responsibility for islands is open to question. Closer co-operation between councils and government departments may be a better option. As the Scottish Islands Federation made clear yesterday, there needs to be a strategic development plan for each island, but to succeed, islanders themselves must be fully involved.