A study on adaptive capacities and resilience of the displaced communities due to Climate Change impacts in Southern Bangladesh

Abstract

Adaptation has become an important issue in international and domestic discussions on climate change. This research paper examines Community based adaptation which shows the resilienc capacities of the communities affected by climate change. Natural disasters induced by climate change displace the community and force the people to move to another place.

The main objective of the research is to explore various modes of community adaptation amon the displaced people due to climatic extremities and resource scarcities leading to conflic situation. The specific objectives of the research are: 1. To know the adaptive strategies of the displaced people. 2. To understand the changing livelihood patterns of the displaced people. 3. To explore the adaptive capacities and resilience of the displaced and vulnerab communities to climate change risks and impacts.

This research was accomplished through various research methods and tools such as the ke informant interview (KII), FGD, unstructured interview, observation, case study, social mapping, seasonal calendar, household census, PRA tools. Secondary sources from literature reviews wer also utilized.

The first two chapters show how climate change impacts on the community and how this community adapted to their situation. The field is in Syamnagar of Satkhira where burigoalini is a village. After AILA communities were displaced from various places, they came to this village and took shelter into the Barrack built by Naval wings of Government.

Chapter Three is a theoretical chapter where the consequence of Forced Displacement on the society was discussed. Using the basis of Pressure and Release Model, the response of the society displaced by climate change was explained indicating that when people are displaced from one place to another, this form of displacement will push them to vulnerability.

Chapter Four mainly discusses about the community people’s livelihood earning. They have thei own livelihood earning strategy. But after their displacement, they lost their livelihood. They changed their profession, their skill and their expertise. They shared the resource with other villagers. Because of this, they often face resource conflict. But after about five years, they realized earnings from their livelihood, fuel collection, and water arrangement and brought resilience to their livelihood.

Chapter Five mainly shows community people’s adaptation pictures when they came to the new area of resettlement and their present situation. Basically the Chapter shows the comparison of their situation from 2011 to 2016. It presents the changes they brought to particular fields like playground, place and manner of worship, physical development like pavement of bricks, forest and mangrove development, direct contact with the forest officer and UNO, and political involvement among others. In all these developments, the NGOs played a major role.