The field data collected during the 2014 field work aimed to deeper the qualitative understanding... more The field data collected during the 2014 field work aimed to deeper the qualitative understanding of the diverse impacts of environmental stress on peoples’ livelihood resilience in each project site. The 2015 field work aim was strongly focused on community-based action needs and institutional presence to ensuring a smooth action handover. The 2016 field work, therefore, expanded the 2014-2015 field work and focused on enhancing a deeper scientific understanding of why people do not evacuate or migrate away from environmental stressors and shocks. The final mixed-method set of field work carried out in October to November 2016 consisted of an ambitious methodological research plan carried out in the coastal cyclone affected study sites Dalbanga South, Mazer Char and Gabtola, as well as the urban project site Bhola Slum.
After the first field visit in May-June 2014, it was decided for the Gibika team to go back to on... more After the first field visit in May-June 2014, it was decided for the Gibika team to go back to one coastal project site, Dalbanga South, to further investigate and conduct research around disaster preparedness and potential need for improvement on the current Early Warning System. This more action focused field visit was conducted in October 2014 to the coastal Gibika project site Dalbanga South. The field team reported back to the Steering Committee on findings during the Gibika annual meeting in Dhaka, Bangladesh in October. During the annual meeting the committee identified Dalbanga South as the first Gibika project action site. The action will focus on eliminating constraints and gaps (e.g. cultural, social, practical as well as technological), which currently decrease the disaster preparedness of the community against cyclones. Risk awareness and disaster risk reduction initiatives will act as one eliminating tool of such gaps and constraints. The goal is to have the action started up during 2015 in this specific project site.
After the first field visit in May-June 2014, it was decided for the Gibika team to go back to on... more After the first field visit in May-June 2014, it was decided for the Gibika team to go back to one coastal project site, Dalbanga South, to further investigate and conduct research around disaster preparedness and potential need for improvement on the current Early Warning System. This more action focused field visit was conducted in October 2014 to the coastal Gibika project site Dalbanga South. The field team reported back to the Steering Committee on findings during the Gibika annual meeting in Dhaka, Bangladesh in October. During the annual meeting the committee identified Dalbanga South as the first Gibika project action site. The action will focus on eliminating constraints and gaps (e.g. cultural, social, practical as well as technological), which currently decrease the disaster preparedness of the community against cyclones. Risk awareness and disaster risk reduction initiatives will act as one eliminating tool of such gaps and constraints. The goal is to have the action started up during 2015 in this specific project site.
ABSTRACT Adapting to the impacts of climate change is one of the most urgent priorities of our ti... more ABSTRACT Adapting to the impacts of climate change is one of the most urgent priorities of our time. Given that the impacts of climate change are experienced at local scales, it makes sense that adaptation should occur locally, and yet, despite this, locals often have little control over how adaptation is funded, designed and delivered in order to climate-proof their places and futures. Increasingly competitive access to funding and limited progress towards sustainable adaptation outcomes prompts our call to rethink adaptation at the local scale. Drawing from grounded research with locals, we explore three case examples from the Asia-Pacific region, ranging from the coastal belt of Bangladesh, to a peri-urban informal settlement in the Philippines, and to a small rural island in Vanuatu. These examples help illustrate how locally led adaptation (LLA) gives us hope for more equitable, effective and sustainable adaptation outcomes. We show how LLA can help to reduce dependency and support local autonomy, diverse capabilities and creativity. We propose nine mutually reinforcing drivers of LLA to improve grassroots initiatives. These drivers focus on locally led decision-making, local strengths and resources (e.g. institutions, social networks, local knowledge and coping mechanisms), local realities, local vulnerability contexts and inequalities, local metrics for measuring “success”, and local agendas which should be supported or enabled by external agencies. These drivers support local people to determine their own adaptation futures and ensure finite funding resources are utilised in meaningful ways.
After the first field visit in May-June 2014, it was decided for the Gibika team to go back to on... more After the first field visit in May-June 2014, it was decided for the Gibika team to go back to one coastal project site, Dalbanga South, to further investigate and conduct research around disaster preparedness and potential need for improvement on the current Early Warning System. This more action focused field visit was conducted in October 2014 to the coastal Gibika project site Dalbanga South. The field team reported back to the Steering Committee on findings during the Gibika annual meeting in Dhaka, Bangladesh in October. During the annual meeting the committee identified Dalbanga South as the first Gibika project action site. The action will focus on eliminating constraints and gaps (e.g. cultural, social, practical as well as technological), which currently decrease the disaster preparedness of the community against cyclones. Risk awareness and disaster risk reduction initiatives will act as one eliminating tool of such gaps and constraints. The goal is to have the action started up during 2015 in this specific project site.
After the first field visit in May-June 2014, it was decided for the Gibika team to go back to on... more After the first field visit in May-June 2014, it was decided for the Gibika team to go back to one coastal project site, Dalbanga South, to further investigate and conduct research around disaster preparedness and potential need for improvement on the current Early Warning System. This more action focused field visit was conducted in October 2014 to the coastal Gibika project site Dalbanga South. The field team reported back to the Steering Committee on findings during the Gibika annual meeting in Dhaka, Bangladesh in October. During the annual meeting the committee identified Dalbanga South as the first Gibika project action site. The action will focus on eliminating constraints and gaps (e.g. cultural, social, practical as well as technological), which currently decrease the disaster preparedness of the community against cyclones. Risk awareness and disaster risk reduction initiatives will act as one eliminating tool of such gaps and constraints. The goal is to have the action started up during 2015 in this specific project site.
The field data collected during the 2014 field work aimed to deeper the qualitative understanding... more The field data collected during the 2014 field work aimed to deeper the qualitative understanding of the diverse impacts of environmental stress on peoples’ livelihood resilience in each project site. The 2015 field work aim was strongly focused on community-based action needs and institutional presence to ensuring a smooth action handover. The 2016 field work, therefore, expanded the 2014-2015 field work and focused on enhancing a deeper scientific understanding of why people do not evacuate or migrate away from environmental stressors and shocks. The final mixed-method set of field work carried out in October to November 2016 consisted of an ambitious methodological research plan carried out in the coastal cyclone affected study sites Dalbanga South, Mazer Char and Gabtola, as well as the urban project site Bhola Slum.
This paper aims to understand how environmental stressors influence people's livelihood options i... more This paper aims to understand how environmental stressors influence people's livelihood options in the coastal belt of Bangladesh. We argue that environmental stressors such as cyclones, riverbank erosion, salinity intrusion, and floods have negative impacts on people's lives by reducing their livelihood options. Twelve in-depth interviews (Livelihood Histories) and twelve Focus Group Discussions (FGD) based on two Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) tools (Village Timeline and Contextual Change) were carried out in three different sites in coastal Bangladesh were conducted under the study. Our study finds that when there are insufficient adaptation strategies to environmental stressors, many people turn to livelihoods banned by the government. These 'illegal livelihoods' include using fine mesh nets to collect shrimp fry in the rivers as well as logging in the Sundarbans. These people are often the poorestand vulnerable, and law enforcement only exacerbate their vulnerability. We end by concluding those that have turned to 'illegal livelihoods' as a result of detrimental environmental stressors should be viewed as a special category of vulnerable people by policymakers, and steps need to be taken to ensure resilience to different environmental stressors.
The Ganges–Brahmaputra delta enables Bangladesh to sustain a dense population, but it also expose... more The Ganges–Brahmaputra delta enables Bangladesh to sustain a dense population, but it also exposes people to natural hazards. This article presents findings from the Gibika project, which researches livelihood resilience in seven study sites across Bangladesh. This study aims to understand how people in the study sites build resilience against environmental stresses, such as cyclones, floods, riverbank erosion, and drought, and in what ways their strategies sometimes fail. The article applies a new methodology for studying people's decision making in risk-prone environments: the personal Livelihood History interviews (N = 28). The findings show how environmental stress, shocks, and disturbances affect people's livelihood resilience and why adaptation measures can be unsuccessful. Floods, riverbank erosion, and droughts cause damage to agricultural lands, crops, houses, and properties. People manage to adapt by modifying their agricultural practices, switching to alternative livelihoods, or using migration as an adaptive strategy. In the coastal study sites, cyclones are a severe hazard. The study reveals that when a cyclone approaches, people sometimes choose not to evacuate: they put their lives at risk to protect their livelihoods and properties. Future policy and adaptation planning must use lessons learned from people currently facing environmental stress and shocks.
The field data collected during the 2014 field work aimed to deeper the qualitative understanding... more The field data collected during the 2014 field work aimed to deeper the qualitative understanding of the diverse impacts of environmental stress on peoples’ livelihood resilience in each project site. The 2015 field work aim was strongly focused on community-based action needs and institutional presence to ensuring a smooth action handover. The 2016 field work, therefore, expanded the 2014-2015 field work and focused on enhancing a deeper scientific understanding of why people do not evacuate or migrate away from environmental stressors and shocks. The final mixed-method set of field work carried out in October to November 2016 consisted of an ambitious methodological research plan carried out in the coastal cyclone affected study sites Dalbanga South, Mazer Char and Gabtola, as well as the urban project site Bhola Slum.
After the first field visit in May-June 2014, it was decided for the Gibika team to go back to on... more After the first field visit in May-June 2014, it was decided for the Gibika team to go back to one coastal project site, Dalbanga South, to further investigate and conduct research around disaster preparedness and potential need for improvement on the current Early Warning System. This more action focused field visit was conducted in October 2014 to the coastal Gibika project site Dalbanga South. The field team reported back to the Steering Committee on findings during the Gibika annual meeting in Dhaka, Bangladesh in October. During the annual meeting the committee identified Dalbanga South as the first Gibika project action site. The action will focus on eliminating constraints and gaps (e.g. cultural, social, practical as well as technological), which currently decrease the disaster preparedness of the community against cyclones. Risk awareness and disaster risk reduction initiatives will act as one eliminating tool of such gaps and constraints. The goal is to have the action started up during 2015 in this specific project site.
After the first field visit in May-June 2014, it was decided for the Gibika team to go back to on... more After the first field visit in May-June 2014, it was decided for the Gibika team to go back to one coastal project site, Dalbanga South, to further investigate and conduct research around disaster preparedness and potential need for improvement on the current Early Warning System. This more action focused field visit was conducted in October 2014 to the coastal Gibika project site Dalbanga South. The field team reported back to the Steering Committee on findings during the Gibika annual meeting in Dhaka, Bangladesh in October. During the annual meeting the committee identified Dalbanga South as the first Gibika project action site. The action will focus on eliminating constraints and gaps (e.g. cultural, social, practical as well as technological), which currently decrease the disaster preparedness of the community against cyclones. Risk awareness and disaster risk reduction initiatives will act as one eliminating tool of such gaps and constraints. The goal is to have the action started up during 2015 in this specific project site.
ABSTRACT Adapting to the impacts of climate change is one of the most urgent priorities of our ti... more ABSTRACT Adapting to the impacts of climate change is one of the most urgent priorities of our time. Given that the impacts of climate change are experienced at local scales, it makes sense that adaptation should occur locally, and yet, despite this, locals often have little control over how adaptation is funded, designed and delivered in order to climate-proof their places and futures. Increasingly competitive access to funding and limited progress towards sustainable adaptation outcomes prompts our call to rethink adaptation at the local scale. Drawing from grounded research with locals, we explore three case examples from the Asia-Pacific region, ranging from the coastal belt of Bangladesh, to a peri-urban informal settlement in the Philippines, and to a small rural island in Vanuatu. These examples help illustrate how locally led adaptation (LLA) gives us hope for more equitable, effective and sustainable adaptation outcomes. We show how LLA can help to reduce dependency and support local autonomy, diverse capabilities and creativity. We propose nine mutually reinforcing drivers of LLA to improve grassroots initiatives. These drivers focus on locally led decision-making, local strengths and resources (e.g. institutions, social networks, local knowledge and coping mechanisms), local realities, local vulnerability contexts and inequalities, local metrics for measuring “success”, and local agendas which should be supported or enabled by external agencies. These drivers support local people to determine their own adaptation futures and ensure finite funding resources are utilised in meaningful ways.
After the first field visit in May-June 2014, it was decided for the Gibika team to go back to on... more After the first field visit in May-June 2014, it was decided for the Gibika team to go back to one coastal project site, Dalbanga South, to further investigate and conduct research around disaster preparedness and potential need for improvement on the current Early Warning System. This more action focused field visit was conducted in October 2014 to the coastal Gibika project site Dalbanga South. The field team reported back to the Steering Committee on findings during the Gibika annual meeting in Dhaka, Bangladesh in October. During the annual meeting the committee identified Dalbanga South as the first Gibika project action site. The action will focus on eliminating constraints and gaps (e.g. cultural, social, practical as well as technological), which currently decrease the disaster preparedness of the community against cyclones. Risk awareness and disaster risk reduction initiatives will act as one eliminating tool of such gaps and constraints. The goal is to have the action started up during 2015 in this specific project site.
After the first field visit in May-June 2014, it was decided for the Gibika team to go back to on... more After the first field visit in May-June 2014, it was decided for the Gibika team to go back to one coastal project site, Dalbanga South, to further investigate and conduct research around disaster preparedness and potential need for improvement on the current Early Warning System. This more action focused field visit was conducted in October 2014 to the coastal Gibika project site Dalbanga South. The field team reported back to the Steering Committee on findings during the Gibika annual meeting in Dhaka, Bangladesh in October. During the annual meeting the committee identified Dalbanga South as the first Gibika project action site. The action will focus on eliminating constraints and gaps (e.g. cultural, social, practical as well as technological), which currently decrease the disaster preparedness of the community against cyclones. Risk awareness and disaster risk reduction initiatives will act as one eliminating tool of such gaps and constraints. The goal is to have the action started up during 2015 in this specific project site.
The field data collected during the 2014 field work aimed to deeper the qualitative understanding... more The field data collected during the 2014 field work aimed to deeper the qualitative understanding of the diverse impacts of environmental stress on peoples’ livelihood resilience in each project site. The 2015 field work aim was strongly focused on community-based action needs and institutional presence to ensuring a smooth action handover. The 2016 field work, therefore, expanded the 2014-2015 field work and focused on enhancing a deeper scientific understanding of why people do not evacuate or migrate away from environmental stressors and shocks. The final mixed-method set of field work carried out in October to November 2016 consisted of an ambitious methodological research plan carried out in the coastal cyclone affected study sites Dalbanga South, Mazer Char and Gabtola, as well as the urban project site Bhola Slum.
This paper aims to understand how environmental stressors influence people's livelihood options i... more This paper aims to understand how environmental stressors influence people's livelihood options in the coastal belt of Bangladesh. We argue that environmental stressors such as cyclones, riverbank erosion, salinity intrusion, and floods have negative impacts on people's lives by reducing their livelihood options. Twelve in-depth interviews (Livelihood Histories) and twelve Focus Group Discussions (FGD) based on two Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) tools (Village Timeline and Contextual Change) were carried out in three different sites in coastal Bangladesh were conducted under the study. Our study finds that when there are insufficient adaptation strategies to environmental stressors, many people turn to livelihoods banned by the government. These 'illegal livelihoods' include using fine mesh nets to collect shrimp fry in the rivers as well as logging in the Sundarbans. These people are often the poorestand vulnerable, and law enforcement only exacerbate their vulnerability. We end by concluding those that have turned to 'illegal livelihoods' as a result of detrimental environmental stressors should be viewed as a special category of vulnerable people by policymakers, and steps need to be taken to ensure resilience to different environmental stressors.
The Ganges–Brahmaputra delta enables Bangladesh to sustain a dense population, but it also expose... more The Ganges–Brahmaputra delta enables Bangladesh to sustain a dense population, but it also exposes people to natural hazards. This article presents findings from the Gibika project, which researches livelihood resilience in seven study sites across Bangladesh. This study aims to understand how people in the study sites build resilience against environmental stresses, such as cyclones, floods, riverbank erosion, and drought, and in what ways their strategies sometimes fail. The article applies a new methodology for studying people's decision making in risk-prone environments: the personal Livelihood History interviews (N = 28). The findings show how environmental stress, shocks, and disturbances affect people's livelihood resilience and why adaptation measures can be unsuccessful. Floods, riverbank erosion, and droughts cause damage to agricultural lands, crops, houses, and properties. People manage to adapt by modifying their agricultural practices, switching to alternative livelihoods, or using migration as an adaptive strategy. In the coastal study sites, cyclones are a severe hazard. The study reveals that when a cyclone approaches, people sometimes choose not to evacuate: they put their lives at risk to protect their livelihoods and properties. Future policy and adaptation planning must use lessons learned from people currently facing environmental stress and shocks.
Uploads