Climate Change Vulnerability and Responses of Fisherfolk Communities in the South-Eastern Coast of Bangladesh

Abstract

Climate change is an ongoing threat across the earth–especially those who depend on fishing. This study aims to understand how fishery-dependent communities in the South-Eastern coast of Bangladesh build resilience against environmental stresses, and in what ways their strategies sometimes fail. A composite index approach has been used to calculate livelihood vulnerability. Results reveal that exposure to floods and cyclones, sensitivity and lack of adaptive capacity concerning physical, natural, and financial capital and diverse livelihood strategies construe livelihood vulnerability in different ways depending on the context. The study reveals that over the last ten years, 20% household heads have changed their fishing profession, where dependency to non-fisheries livelihoods such as rickshaw pooling and small business is growing in the studied fishing villages. However, many of them are applying their traditional knowledge to cope with the changing climate stress and in conserving the biodiversity of the coast. In order to strengthen adaptive capacity and to build resilience, government and the external agencies need to facilitate the existing traditional knowledge and systems with which the fishermen communities have been historically responding to the environmental stresses.

Sustainable management of agriculture products value chain in responses to climate change for South-Eastern coast of Bangladesh

“…Livelihood of the fishermen impacted by numbers of climate induced hazards like cyclones, floods and rising sea levels and their fishing actions are affected mainly due to cyclones. Barua et al (2020) found the lessening of the days of fishing by fishermen in Bangladesh significantly MSCRA increased due to cyclones, depression and larger vacillation in the production of marine and coastal fisheries because of the present scenario of changing climate and climate variability. These impacts, taken jointly, may additionally augment the vulnerability of sustainable livelihood for the coastal fisherfolks devoid of adaptation practices in response of the changing climate.…”

“…Livelihood of the fishermen impacted by numbers of climate induced hazards like cyclones, floods and rising sea levels and their fishing actions are affected mainly due to cyclones. Barua et al (2020) found the lessening of the days of fishing by fishermen in Bangladesh significantly…”

“…Coastal inhabitants of Bangladesh depend on fisheries sector are suffering enormously through multi dimensional problem because of climate change (Barua et al, 2020). Livelihood of the fishermen impacted by numbers of climate induced hazards like cyclones, floods and rising sea levels and their fishing actions are affected mainly due to cyclones.…”

“…The climate of Bangladesh is uneven and it is becoming more impulsive every year and these consequences are observed as the more changeable precipitation, more extreme weather events and increasing sea level are already happening in Bangladesh and will continue to intensify. Bangladesh is most vulnerable to climate change hazards because of its low-lying topography; its geographical location that makes it horizontally vulnerable to cyclones and strong tidal surges; its high population density and urban-rural poverty, and a market based on agriculture products, Bangladesh experiences recurrent events of tremendous climatic hazards, often in the appearance of floods, droughts, coastal and riverbank erosion, salinity intrusion, cyclonic storm surges and water logging that make the community people's living situation more vulnerable (Barua et al, 2017(Barua et al, , 2020.…”

Coastal wetland responses to a century of climate change in northern Sahara, Morocco

“…Many societies depend on coastal productivity, which can sum up to 15% of the animal protein and support 10–12% of the global population (Barua et al 2020). The fishery is vital for the economy of developing countries, which, together, contribute to 54% of global fishery exportation (FAO 2018), and where most of the people who depend on this activity—and who also deal with low incoming and limited food resources—live.…”