Masud Iqbal Md Shameem

Local perceptions of and adaptation to climate variability and change: the case of shrimp farming communities in the coastal region of Bangladesh

Shrimp aquaculture is the predominant farming practice in the southwest coastal region of Bangladesh and has been under increased pressure from environmental and climatic changes. To date, most of the studies examining farmer’s vulnerability and adaption to climate change have been agriculture-focused with little attention to the impacts on other livelihood systems. Based on a case study approach our study presents: i) how local people perceive climate change and whether it corresponds to meteorological records, ii) what climate change impacts people consider significant, and iii) what strategies the shrimp farmers employ to ameliorate perceived risks. This study was conducted using local climate data, focus groups and household survey in Mongla sub-district. This study shows that local people are aware of the changes in hydro-climatic parameters. Their accounts of climate change mostly diverge from the scientific evidence when long-term climate trends are considered, but on short-term variability, the correlation between scientific evidence and local perceptions is high. Repeated adverse impacts caused by climate stressors on livelihood activities shape people’s climate risk perceptions. In relation to perceived risks, farmers have made adjustments in their aquaculture practices. Yet, the level of responses clearly lags behind the extent to which concerns about climate disturbances are expressed. This is partly due to farmers’ efforts for managing transformation from agricultural livelihood system to aquaculture-based livelihood systems and partly associated with other social factors. This case study recommends governmental support for the shrimp aquaculture sector to facilitate the process of adaptation to changes in the hydro-climatic environment.

Chapter 2 – Adaptation in Climate Change Discourse: A Conceptual Framework

This chapter reviews the current literature in the field of climate change and livelihoods to set out a conceptual framework to guide the research. It discusses the history and the concepts of adaptation, and provides an overview of the adaptation models. The chapter then proposes a conceptual framework on the livelihood adaptation process.

Study Design and Data Sources

This chapter outlines the research instruments used to collect and analyze data for this investigation. A combination of qualitative and quantitative methods is used.

Chapter 4 – The Research Setting

This chapter introduces the case study area and provides an overview of the physical and socio-economic conditions of the study cite. It discusses the current vulnerabilities of the households due to hydro-climatic exposure.

Chapter 6 – Local People’s Perceptions of Climate Change

This chapter examines peoples perception of historic hydro-climatic variations and extreme events, and how that influences their allocation of efforts to dealing with these events. It describes the climatic conditions of the region, analyzes local hydro-meteorological data, and compares that with peoples perception of the change.

Chapter 5 – Household Assets and Capabilities

This chapter examines five capital assets accessed by rural households. It demonstrates how the levels of ownership of key assets by households determine the households’ capacity to respond to the impacts of climate change.

Chapter 8 – Livelihood Adaptation to Climate Change: The Role of Policies and Institutions

The purpose of this chapter is to explore the role of policies and institutions in livelihood adaptation. It includes discussion of both governmental and nongovernmental organizations.The purpose of this chapter is to explore the role of policies and institutions in livelihood adaptation. It includes discussion of both governmental and nongovernmental organizations.