Lessons from local indigenous climate adaptation practices: perceptions and evidence from coastal Bangladesh

Abstract

ABSTRACT Lessons of local-scale climate change adaptations through indigenous techniques and knowledge practices (ITKPs) are imperative for climate adaptation policies. This study focused on the benefits of ITKPs and the potential of integrating them into climate adaptation and development activities through focus group discussions (FGDs) (n = 4) (involving persons over 18 years old, had recent disaster experience, and had lived at least 12 years in the area) and household surveys (n = 130) in the southern coastal areas of Bangladesh. We used household surveys to examine the importance of the ITKPs in terms of livelihood development and climate change adaptations, and qualitative syntheses of the FGDs information to reveal the causality of the ITKPs and development activities. Our study revealed that households perceived ITKPs to have higher economic security (64%), livelihood risk reduction (75%) and food security (62%). The majority of households (70%) in the agriculture profession perceived the higher economic potential of ITKPs, depending on the climate-adaptive co-benefits and taking into account their dependencies on climatic events. Agriculture dependent households who perceived the higher benefits of ITKPs were willing to pay 300 BDT/person/year for the improvement and restoration of those in the study areas. Our proposed DPSIR (driver, pressure, state, impact and response) framework implies the potentials of the incorporation of ITKPs into the national climate change adaptation policy in order to ensure sustainable climate change adaption for the coastal community of Bangladesh.