Impacts and Responses of Bangladesh Coastal Fishing Communities to Climate Change: Implications for Policy and Scaling-up

Abstract

Climate change is predicted to impact on fisheries and dependent communities. This study assesses the vulnerability and adaptation to the impacts of climate variability and change, in three small-scale coastal fishing communities in Bangladesh with a view to suggest policy and scaling up the findings. Overall, using a mixed method approach this study contributes empirical evidence to current debates in the literature on climate change by enhancing an understanding of the characteristics and determinants of livelihood vulnerability, migration as an adaptation strategy and limits and barriers to the adaptation of fishing communities to climate variability and change. This study finds that the coastal fishing communities have been impacted by several climatic shocks and stresses and they have traditionally coped with or adapted to the normal range of climate impacts but not always sufficiently well. This study suggests that reduction of impacts, vulnerability or risks, increase in adaptive capacity or resilience, and facilitating adaptation actions and processes to climate variability and change for the fishing communities would require multifaceted measures. However, caution should be maintained as some adaptation strategies may exacerbate existing problems or may be maladaptive to other systems. The findings of this study would particularly contribute to the Government of Bangladesh’s policy goal of “assess[ing] potential threats [of climate change] to the marine fish[eries] sector and develop[ing] adaptive measures”. The findings of this study may also partly be transferred and scaled up to other coastal fishing communities in the Bay of Bengal region with similar socio-economic and environmental characteristics.KeywordsVulnerabilityAdaptationFishing communitiesClimate policyBangladesh