Building Climate Resilience in Coastal Ecosystems in India: Cases and Trends in Adaptation Practices

Abstract

Changes in precipitation, temperature, drought, and sea level rise a rise in sea level are increasingly being seen as affecting the world’s ecosystems and natural resource base. Recent reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change have provided ample evidence of the importance of climate variability in the changing nature of natural resource ecology, as well as the vulnerability of communities and their livelihoods. Climate variability and the rise in the incidents of extreme events and disasters like cyclones are major threats to the coastal and marine ecosystems in the Indian subcontinent, e.g. low-lying islands and coastal regions, some of which are already facing partial submergence, resulting in shoreline changes. Most of the coastal ecosystems in the South Asian region have a very high population density and are dependent on an agro-economy, whilst increasing changes to the weather have often led to adverse impacts on the local eco-diversity. Ecosystem-dependent communities are particularly vulnerable where single-crop agriculture, fishing and harvesting of other local resources are practised. These in turn could be adversely affected by changes such as sea level rise, increase in salinity, changing patterns of rainfall, and an increase in moisture content in the atmosphere leading to increasing incidences of vector-borne diseases. Addressing traditional knowledge systems with new research ideas and the development of innovative technologies is the need of the hour in order to provide a suitable adaptation response in the face of adverse climate impacts and natural disasters. The paper discusses approaches and trends for enhancing the coping capacity of coastal communities through two cases in India from the Sundarbans in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu. The paper also throws light on integrating national/state policies and programmes for mainstreaming climate adaptation practices in development planning.