Vulnerability of whiteleg shrimp production to climate change in coastal India: An indicator approach

Abstract

Identification of spatial gradient in the vulnerability of white leg shrimp production to climate change is imperative in the formulation and implementation of suitable adaptive measures. A composite vulnerability index was computed by employing 36 variables pertaining to exposure (11), sensitivity (11) and adaptive capacity ( 14) dimensions to map the extent of vulnerability in white leg shrimp production across Indian states. Based on its magnitude, the vulnerability index was categorized into three groups, namely low, moderate and high. Results showed that the mean composite vulnerability index was 0.65 and ranged from 0.34 to 0.99 indicating that there was a strong spatial pattern. Among the nine states, Goa (0.99), Kerala (0.84) and Odisha (0.77) were highly vulnerable; Gujarat (0.75), Karnataka (0.57) and West Bengal (0.56) were moderately vulnerable; and Tamil Nadu (0.54), Andhra Pradesh (0.46) and Maharashtra (0.34) were less vulnerable to shrimp production. About one-fourth of the production and culture area of white leg shrimp were in moderate and highly vulnerable regions. The impact of climate change on shrimp production is diverse but can be reduced by implementing adaptive measures-suitable policies and investment plans-which should be region-specific.

Shrimp Farmer’s Perceptions and Adaptation Strategies to the Threat of Climate Change in Bangil District, East Java

“…The growing economic and social significance of shrimp farming in the region under investigation is increasingly faced with critical challenges due to the growing consequences of climate change. This growing threat has the potential to wreak havoc on local economies, as evidenced by a growing body of scientific literature (Jayasinghe et al, 2019;Radhakrishnan et al, 2022;Yuniartik et al, 2022;Le & Armstrong, 2023). The results of this study obtained several variations in the impact of climate change (see Table 5) on shrimp farmers, including increasing shrimp farming costs (93.52%), decreasing production yields (96.71%), decreasing profits (86.15%), increasing pest and disease attacks (94.36%), slowing shrimp growth processes (85.09%), damaging pond infrastructure (64.67%), and crop failure (97.56%).…”