Vulnerability Of Coastal Communities Research Articles

Vulnerability of Coastal Communities from Storm Surge and Flood Disasters.

Disasters in the form of coastal storms and hurricanes can be very destructive. Preparing for anticipated effects of such disasters can help reduce the public health and economic burden. Identifying vulnerable population groups can help prioritize resources for the most needed communities. This paper presents a quantitative framework for vulnerability measurement that incorporates both socioeconomic and flood inundation vulnerability. The approach is demonstrated for three coastal communities in Mississippi with census tracts being the study unit. The vulnerability results are illustrated as thematic maps for easy usage by planners and emergency responders to assist in prioritizing their actions to vulnerable populations during storm surge and flood disasters.

Eyes on Bangladesh’s disappearing coasts: proposed constitutional protections for coastal communities particularly vulnerable to climate change

Climate change, a phenomenon caused by global warming, has impacted just about every part of the earth. As polar ice caps continue to melt, people across the world are experiencing record-breaking heat waves and warmer winters. These erratic weather patterns are just one of the many impacts of climate change. Changes in temperature have altered ecosystems and habitats for terrestrial and marine wildlife, and caused human health to deteriorate. Larger, more industrialized countries are the major contributors to climate change; however, smaller countries, such as Bangladesh, suffer the consequences. This article analyses the negative effects that climate change has had on Bangladesh, particularly the vulnerable coastal communities of Bangladesh. Warmer temperatures lead to warmer waters, a breeding ground for tropical cyclones and spells disaster for those living along Bangladesh’s coasts. This article proceeds to suggest possible domestic and international legal solutions to the problem and examines the law that supports these proposals.Keywords: Climate change, coast, Bangladesh, constitution

Community-based scenario planning: a process for vulnerability analysis and adaptation planning to social–ecological change in coastal communities

The current and projected impacts of climate change make understanding the environmental and social vulnerability of coastal communities and the planning of adaptations important international goals and national policy initiatives. Yet, coastal communities are concurrently experiencing numerous other social, political, economic, demographic and environmental changes or stressors that also need to be considered and planned for simultaneously to maintain social and environmental sustainability. There are a number of methods and processes that have been used to study vulnerability and identify adaptive response strategies. This paper describes the stages, methods and results of a modified community-based scenario planning process that was used for vulnerability analysis and adaptation planning within the context of multiple interacting stressors in two coastal fishing communities in Thailand. The four stages of community-based scenario planning included: (1) identifying the problem and purpose of scenario planning; (2) exploring the system and types of change; (3) generating possible future scenarios; and (4) proposing and prioritizing adaptations. Results revealed local perspectives on social and environmental change, participant visions for their local community and the environment, and potential actions that will help communities to adapt to the changes that are occurring. Community-based scenario planning proved to have significant potential as an anticipatory action research process for incorporating multiple stressors into vulnerability analysis and adaptation planning. This paper reflects on the process and outcomes to provide insights and suggest changes for future applications of community-based scenario planning that will lead to more effective learning, innovation and action in communities and related social–ecological systems.

Analisis Hubungan Tingkat Kerentanan Masyarakat Pesisir Terhadap Bencana dengan Upaya Pengurangan Risiko Bencana (PRB)

<p>Vulnerability is a level lack of ability in a society to prevent, defuse, achieve readiness and response the impact of disaster hazards. The coastal area is indicated as one of areas that vulnerable to natural disasters such as earthquake and Tsunami. Every society has different levels of vulnerability to disasters. This research has three main objectives. The First is to identify the level of vulnerability of coastal communities. The level of vulnerability has four aspects, namely; sosio-cultural, economical, environmental, and institutional. The second is to identify efforts of disaster risk reduction by coastal communities. The Third is to analyze thecorrelation beetwen the level of vulnerability of coastal communities with the efforts of disaster risk reduction. The results show that socio-cultural aspect and institutional aspect are in the lowest level of vulnerability, whereas environmental aspect can be categorized to the middle level of vulnerability. On the other hand, on economic aspect using level of walfare as an indicator, 50% respondent show the lowest level of vulnerability and the rest is the highest level of vulnerability. There is significant correlation between the level of walfare with the efforts of disaster risk reduction to implementation of housing reconstruction. This research combined the quantitative and qualitative research approach.</p><p>Keywords: vulnerability, disaster, disaster risk reduction, mitigation, construction, reconstruction</p>

An Analysis of the Effects of Land Use and Land Cover on Flood Losses along the Gulf of Mexico Coast from 1999 to 2009

AbstractMajor coastal flooding events over the last decade have led decision makers in the United States to favor structural engineering solutions as a means to protect vulnerable coastal communities from the adverse impacts of future storms. While a resistance‐based approach to flood mitigation involving large‐scale construction works may be a central component of a regional flood risk reduction strategy, it is equally important to consider the role of land use and land cover (LULC) patterns in protecting communities from floods. To date, little observational research has been conducted to quantify the effects of various LULC configurations on the amount of property damage occurring across coastal regions over time. In response, we statistically examine the impacts of LULC on observed flood damage across 2,692 watersheds bordering the Gulf of Mexico. Specifically, we analyze statistical linear regression models to isolate the influence of multiple LULC categories on over 372,000 insured flood losses claimed under the National Flood Insurance Program per year from 2001 to 2008. Results indicate that percent increase in palustrine wetlands is the equivalent to, on average, a $13,975 reduction in insured flood losses per year, per watershed. These and other results provide important insights to policy makers on how protecting specific types of LULC can help reduce adverse impacts to local communities.

Community-Based Climate Vulnerability and Adaptation Tools: A Review of Tools and Their Applications

Conservation and development organizations conduct vulnerability and adaptation assessments to assess the vulnerability of coastal communities and ecosystems to climate change and to identify adaptation strategies to address these impacts. Local assessments are needed to provide this information at the scale of communities and critical habitats. Over the last decade, there has been a proliferation of tools developed to assess climate vulnerability and adaptation at the community level. However, there has been limited synthesis of the available tools across disciplines in the peer-reviewed literature and limited guidance provided to help conservation practitioners and development planners select which tool is most appropriate for a given application. This article reviews a number of tools designed for community-level climate vulnerability and adaptation assessments and highlights their advantages and limitations to help managers make informed decisions about tool selection. Selection of tools will involve tradeoffs in terms of the capacity and resources needed to apply the tools and the aspects of social and ecological vulnerability that they address.

A contribution to the selection of tsunami human vulnerability indicators: conclusions from tsunami impacts in Sri Lanka and Thailand (2004), Samoa (2009), Chile (2010) and Japan (2011)

Abstract. After several tsunami events with disastrous consequences around the world, coastal countries have realized the need to be prepared to minimize human mortality and damage to coastal infrastructures, livelihoods and resources. The international scientific community is striving to develop and validate methodologies for tsunami hazard and vulnerability and risk assessments. The vulnerability of coastal communities is usually assessed through the definition of sets of indicators based on previous literature and/or post-tsunami reports, as well as on the available data for the study site. The aim of this work is to validate, in light of past tsunami events, the indicators currently proposed by the scientific community to measure human vulnerability, to improve their definition and selection as well as to analyse their validity for different country development profiles. The events analysed are the 2011 Great Tohoku tsunami, the 2010 Chilean tsunami, the 2009 Samoan tsunami and the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. The results obtained highlight the need for considering both permanent and temporal human exposure, the former requiring some hazard numerical modelling, while the latter is related to site-specific livelihoods, cultural traditions and gender roles. The most vulnerable age groups are the elderly and children, the former having much higher mortality rates. Female mortality is not always higher than male mortality and not always related to dependency issues. Higher numbers of disabled people do not always translate into higher numbers of victims. Besides, it is clear that mortality is not only related to the characteristics of the population but also of the buildings. A high correlation has been found between the affected buildings and the number of victims, being very high for completely damaged buildings. Distance to the sea, building materials and expected water depths are important determining factors regarding the type of damage to buildings.

D. Blue Carbon: An Opportunity for Coastal Conservation in the Philippines

This paper provides information on the importance of coastal ecosystems to maintaining human-well-being and biodiversity. It aims to promote a better understanding of the benets and ecosystems services values of coastal ecosystems such as mangroves and seagrasses as these contribute to the ability of people to mitigate and adapt to the impacts of climate change. Coastal ecosystems such as mangroves help reduce vulnerabilities of coastal communities to storm surges and sea level rise. Aside from these, mangroves have the ability to store carbon. The presentation hopes to increase the awareness and understanding of participants of the Regional Mangrove Conference (organized by Ateneo de Manila University, Conservation International, Foundation for Philippine Environment, DENR – Biodiversity Management Bureau, and other stakeholders and partners) of their role in protecting this important ecosystem and ensuring that mangroves are recognized as important natural resources that they are. CI-Philippines has been working with communities and partners to find solutions to reduce the risks of climate change; this involved promoting ecosystembased approaches to adaptation and demonstrating the importance of natural systems. In recent years there has also been growing recognition of coastal blue carbon in mitigating the impacts of climate change. While much more work is needed to better understand the co-benets of mangrove, coastal blue carbon should be seen as an opportunity for coastal conservation in the Philippines and a national blue carbon initiative must be undertaken not only by experts and conservation organizations but also by national government agencies.

Monitoring sea level rise-induced hazards along the coast of Accra in Ghana

Sea level rise, increased erosion and flooding threaten vulnerable coastal communities globally. Monitoring the changes in the coastal zone enables the risk levels to be detected and quantified. Such information facilitates developing sustainable policies to effectively manage hazards in the coastal zone. This study used available geospatial data to assess the physical state of the Accra coast and established ground control points that will facilitate effective monitoring of change. The data used included a bathymetric map (hard copy) with last revision in 1992, digital topographic map (2002) of the coast, 2005 orthophoto map and the geology map of Accra. The reliability of the data was determined, and the data were analysed using GIS tool. Ten concrete ground control points were established, mapped using DGPS and connected to the Ghana national coordinate system to form a network for effective monitoring in the coastal zone. The results revealed that the western region of the Accra coast has lower elevations onshore which will facilitate inundation from sea level rise. Comparing nearshore bathymetric profiles indicates that the eastern coast is deeper relative to the central and western. This will enable waves to break closer to the coast under increasing sea level rise thereby dissipating energy to facilitate sediment transport. Computed potential sediment transport rate revealed that the rate ranges between 4.1 × 105 and 7.2 × 105 m3/year. Using the control points established as reference points to monitor the coastal system will enable changes that can result in hazard to be detected and quantified.

Perceptions of Risk among Households in Two Australian Coastal Communities

AbstractThere is limited knowledge of risk perceptions in coastal communities despite their vulnerability to a range of risks including the impacts of climate change. A survey of 400 households in two Australian coastal communities, combined with semi‐structured interviews, provides insight into household perceptions of the relative importance of climatic and non‐climatic risks and the subsequent risk priorities that may inform household adaptive action. In contrast to previous research, the results demonstrated that geographic location and household characteristics might not affect perceptions of vulnerability to environmental hazards. However, past experience was a significant influence, raising the priority of environmental concerns. Overall, the results highlight the priority concerns of coastal households (from finance, to health and environment) and suggest to increase the profile of climate issues in coastal communities climate change strategies need to better demonstrate links between climate vulnerability and other household concerns. Furthermore, promoting generic capacities in isolation from understanding the context in which households construe climate risks is unlikely to yield the changes required to decrease the vulnerability of coastal communities.

Understanding the Social Vulnerability of Coastal Communities

Understanding the Social Vulnerability of Coastal Communities

Pitfalls in developing coastal climate adaptation responses

Increasing awareness of the risks to coastal communities and infrastructure posed by sea level rise and possible climate-induced changes to the frequency and intensity of catchment flooding events have triggered a large number of studies that have assessed the risk, and developed a prioritisation of actions. These prioritised action recommendations are typically encapsulated in climate adaptation plans and pathways documents, risk reduction strategies, and climate action plans. These studies typically involve a vulnerability assessment task and an action prioritisation task, often performed in the same study. Most of the focus on research and method development over recent decades has been on the first task that aims to quantify the vulnerability of coastal communities and infrastructure. It is argued here that as a result of this emphasis on assessing vulnerability, at the cost of adequate consideration of response actions, along with the linear ‘fix and forget’ management approach to climate adaptation, has led to a lack of uptake in coastal climate adaptation studies and strategies. To this end the aim of the work presented here is to highlight common shortfalls in this fix and forget approach and in particular in the response prioritisation task. Ways that these shortfalls can be avoided, based on knowledge from decision theory, are presented.

GIS Based Tsunami Risk Assessment in Weligma, Sri Lanka

A tsunami is a natural coastal hazard generated in the deep ocean as a result of an earthquake, volcanic activity, submarine landslide or meteoritic impact. The 26th Dec. 2004 earthquake off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia generated one of the deadliest tsunami in history. It demolished the coastal areas of Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, and Thailand, as these countries located shadow zone of this tectonic belt. Over thirty thousand loss their lives and also millions of worth extensive property damaged. As Sri Lanka situated in a shadow zone of the earthquake generated belt preparedness is very important factor. The study focused towards creation of a Tsunami risk map for Weligama area. The numerical simulation of tsunami inundation was carried out using ComMIT model with the major input parameters of earthquake source parameters, topography and bathymetry data. The December 2004 Sumatra Earthquake source parameters were used for generation, propagation, and coastal amplification of the tsunami waves and finally the inundation extent and water level was obtained to prepare large scale action maps on tsunami inundation to protect the coastal communities. The GIS tool has been used to incorporate the tsunami inundation depth to prepare the final tsunami risk map. Reliability of model results was compared with the field data and a high resolution QuickBird images with pre and post tsunami. The results from this study will be useful for long - term planning in vulnerable coastal communities and providing early warnings to take precautions to reduce impacts of tsunami in future.

Consideration of coastal risk in the Irish spatial planning process

The vulnerability of coastal areas to associated hazards is increasing due to population growth, development pressure and climate change. It is incumbent on coastal governance regimes to address the vulnerability of coastal inhabitants to these hazards. This is especially so at the local level where development planning and control has a direct impact on the vulnerability of coastal communities. To reduce the vulnerability of coastal populations, risk mitigation and adaptation strategies need to be built into local spatial planning processes. Local government, however, operates within a complex hierarchal governance framework which may promote or limit particular actions. It is important, therefore, to understand how local coastal planning practices are shaped by national and supranational entities. Local governments also have to respond to the demands of local populations. Consequently, it is important to understand local populations’ perceptions of coastal risk and its management. Adopting an in-depth study of coastal planning in County Mayo, Ireland, this paper evaluates: (a) how European and national policies and legislation shape coastal risk management at local level; (b) the incorporation of risk management strategies into local plans; and (c) local perception of coastal risks and risk management. Despite a strong steer from supranational and national legislation and policy, statutory local plans are found to be lacking in appropriate risk mitigation or adaptation strategies. Local residents appear to be lulled into a sense of complacency towards these risks because of the low level of attention afforded to them by the local planning authorities. To avoid potentially disastrous consequences for local residents and businesses, it is imperative that this situation is redressed urgently. Based on our analysis, we recommend: the development and implementation of a national ICZM strategy, supported by detailed local ICZM plans; and obliging local government to address known risks in their plans rather than defer them to project level decision making.

Managing Shoreline Change Under Increasing Sea-Level Rise in Ghana

Relative sea-level rise will affect vulnerable coastal communities globally. Quantifying this effect on the coastal environment and infrastructure provides critical information that enables coastal managers to develop sustainable mitigation and adaptation measures. Modeling applications have enabled the past, present, and future trends in shoreline morphology to be investigated in detail. Predictive numerical models depend largely on the reliability of the input data. This article reports on using the Soft Cliff and Platform Erosion (SCAPE) numerical model to simulate future shoreline evolution trend in the central Accra coast in Ghana. The model input parameters include historic shoreline recession rates, wave data, tidal data, bathymetry, beach volume, beach topography, historic relative sea-level rise rates, and the shoreline orientation. The data fed the SCAPE numerical model which simulated the emergence of soft rock shore profiles over timescale of decades to centuries, to project future positions of the central Accra shoreline for the next 100 years under different scenarios of climate change. Simulated future shoreline positions overlaid on a 2005 orthophoto map of Accra enabled vulnerable areas and infrastructure at risk to be identified. It emerged that a highly populated community in central Accra will be inundated by 2065, while the Rivera beach resort will be eroded from 2035. A natural fish landing site in Osu (suburb in Accra) will be lost from 2045. The study has demonstrated that considerable ecological, economic, social, and national losses should be expected within the next century. Shoreline change management options should be explored to help mitigate the expected impact of the sea-level rise.

Vulnerability of artisanal fishing communities to flood risks in coastal southwest Nigeria

The vulnerability of coastal communities to climate change risks is an important development issue for Africa's low-lying coastal zones. Frequent floods resulting from climate change, sea-level rise and other human-induced environmental stressors have become a major concern in the coastal zone of Nigeria. This article draws upon conceptual issues in vulnerability and livelihoods to examine the multi-scale causes of current vulnerability of artisanal fishing communities in the Ogun coastal area of southwest Nigeria to flood risks. Fisher folk in the study area are highly vulnerable to the increasing incidence of floods as virtually all aspects of their livelihoods are impacted. Adaptive capacity which is influenced by existing socio-economic and institutional contexts at different scales is examined. Projected changes in climate for Nigeria's coastal zone and future socio-economic conditions of artisanal fishers suggest higher vulnerability in the future.

Coordinated management of coastal hazard awareness and preparedness in the USVI

Abstract. As far back as history has been written in the islands today known as the US Virgin Islands (USVI), residents have had to endure and survive costly and deadly onslaughts from tropical storms such as the 1867 San Narciso Hurricane, Hurricane Hugo and Hurricane Marilyn. Keenly alerted by recent tragic events in the Indian Ocean in 2004, in Haiti in 2010 and in Japan in 2011, the USVI was reminded that it had suffered its greatest tsunami impact in a well-documented event that had followed the 1867 hurricane by fewer than three weeks. To address their community's continual vulnerability to coastal hazards, USVI emergency managers, scientists and educators, assisted by national and regional disaster management agencies and warning programs, have engaged programs for understanding, anticipating and mitigating these hazards. This paper focuses on how three public-serving institutions, the Virgin Islands Territorial Emergency Management Agency (VITEMA), the University of the Virgin Islands and the Caribbean Ocean Observing System have responded to the community's need for improved preparedness through programs of physical preparation, planning, research, observations, education and outreach. This report reviews some of the approaches and activities employed in the USVI in the hope of sharing their benefits with similarly vulnerable coastal communities.

Climate Change Adaptation in the Southwest Indian Ocean: Case Study of the Perception of Risk, Common Coping Strategies and the Potential for Micro-Insurance

Given that climate change is adversely impacting upon the agriculture and tourism industries and the low income labourers in these sectors, this paper reports on household perceptions of climate risks, current coping mechanisms and current coverage of insurance in Mauritius and the Seychelles. The research methodology included a survey of 586 persons, interviews and workshops with stakeholders in the agricultural and tourism sectors of each country. Approximately 42% of persons surveyed had experienced some loss from an extreme weather event, with some respondents experiencing multiple events. The results demonstrated a reliance on personal savings and government assistance as a form of pseudo-insurance, with as many as 65% of respondents indicating that they utilized savings to cope after an extreme weather event which damaged housing and livestock. The general feedback from interviews in Mauritius indicated that government aid is usually provided to the identified sectors when they are impacted by disaster events. For Seychelles, however, government support was less prevalent. The use of such asset depleting coping mechanisms forebode the distinct possibility of having to sell possessions or not repair at all should there be future catastrophe events. These findings advance a sound agenda for policy and practice in the Indian Ocean on matters related to climate change adaptation. By discussing the current status of climate risk awareness and resilience in these countries, this paper offers an argument for the inclusion of microinsurance in a comprehensive risk management plan as an alternative financial risk management tool. Introducing microinsurance products designed specifically for climate and weather risk, and which take into account the shortcomings of traditional insurance, may reduce the vulnerability of coastal communities in the face of climate change.

Social and economic vulnerability of coastal communities to sea-level rise and extreme flooding

This paper assesses the socioeconomic consequences of extreme coastal flooding events. Wealth and income impacts associated with different social groups in coastal communities in Israel are estimated. A range of coastal flood hazard zones based on different scenarios are identified. These are superimposed on a composite social vulnerability index to highlight the spatial variation in the socioeconomic structure of those areas exposed to flooding. Economic vulnerability is captured by the exposure of wealth and income. For the former, we correlate the distribution of housing stock at risk with the socioeconomic characteristics of threatened populations. We also estimate the value of residential assets exposed under the different scenarios. For the latter, we calculate the observed change in income distribution of the population under threat of inundation. We interpret the change in income distribution as an indicator of recovery potential.

The role of ecosystems in coastal protection: Adapting to climate change and coastal hazards

Coastal ecosystems, particularly intertidal wetlands and reefs (coral and shellfish), can play a critical role in reducing the vulnerability of coastal communities to rising seas and coastal hazards, through their multiple roles in wave attenuation, sediment capture, vertical accretion, erosion reduction and the mitigation of storm surge and debris movement. There is growing understanding of the array of factors that affect the strength or efficacy of these ecosystem services in different locations, as well as management interventions which may restore or enhance such values. Improved understanding and application of such knowledge will form a critical part of coastal adaptation planning, likely reducing the need for expensive engineering options in some locations, and providing a complementary tool in hybrid engineering design. Irrespective of future climate change, coastal hazards already impact countless communities and the appropriate use of ecosystem-based adaptation strategies offers a valuable and effective tool for present-day management. Maintaining and enhancing coastal systems will also support the continued provision of other coastal services, including the provision of food and maintenance of coastal resource dependent livelihoods.