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Limits and barriers to adaptation to climate variability and change in Bangladeshi coastal fishing communities

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  • Monirul Islam, Md.
  • Sallu, Susannah
  • Hubacek, Klaus
  • Paavola, Jouni

Abstract

Limits and barriers to adaptation restrict people’s ability to address the negative impacts of climate change or manage risks in a way that maximises their wellbeing. There is a lack of evidence of this on small-scale fishing communities in developing countries. This study identifies and characterises limits and barriers to adaptation of fishing activities to cyclones and examines interactions between them in two fishing communities in Bangladesh, using household questionnaires, oral history interviews, vulnerability matrices and focus group discussions. The limits include physical characteristics of climate and sea like higher frequency and duration of cyclones, and hidden sandbars. Barriers include technologically poor boats, inaccurate weather forecast, poor radio signal, lack of access to credit, low incomes, underestimation of cyclone occurrence, coercion of fishermen by the boat owners and captains, lack of education, skills and livelihood alternatives, unfavourable credit schemes, lack of enforcement of fishing regulations and maritime laws, and lack of access to fish markets. These local and wider scale factors interact in complex ways and constrain completion of fishing trips, coping with cyclones at sea, safe return of boats from sea, timely responses to cyclones and livelihood diversification. The findings indicate a need for further detailed research into the determinants and implications of such limits and barriers, in order to move towards an improved characterisation of adaptation and to identify most suitable means to overcome the limits and barriers.

Suggested Citation

  • Monirul Islam, Md. & Sallu, Susannah & Hubacek, Klaus & Paavola, Jouni, 2014. "Limits and barriers to adaptation to climate variability and change in Bangladeshi coastal fishing communities," Marine Policy, Elsevier, vol. 43(C), pages 208-216.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:marpol:v:43:y:2014:i:c:p:208-216
    DOI: 10.1016/j.marpol.2013.06.007
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    Cited by:

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    4. Nobuhle Ndhlovu & Osamu Saito & Riyanti Djalante & Nobuyuki Yagi, 2017. "Assessing the Sensitivity of Small-Scale Fishery Groups to Climate Change in Lake Kariba, Zimbabwe," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(12), pages 1-18, November.
    5. Vahid Karimi & Ezatollah Karami & Shobeir Karami & Marzieh Keshavarz, 2021. "Adaptation to climate change through agricultural paradigm shift," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 23(4), pages 5465-5485, April.
    6. Edison D. Macusi & Nitcel Aymie Albarido & Misael B. Clapano & Mudjekeewis D. Santos, 2022. "Vulnerability Assessment of Pacific Whiteleg Shrimp ( Penaeus vannamei ) Farms and Vendors in Davao, Philippines Using FishVool," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(8), pages 1-15, April.
    7. Wang, Weijun & Zhao, Xueyan & Cao, Jianjun & Li, Hua & Zhang, Qin, 2020. "Barriers and requirements to climate change adaptation of mountainous rural communities in developing countries: The case of the eastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau of China," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 95(C).
    8. Makame Omar Makame & Sheona E Shackleton & Walter Leal Filho, 2023. "Coping with and adapting to climate and non-climate stressors within the small-scale farming, fishing and seaweed growing sectors, Zanzibar," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 116(3), pages 3377-3399, April.
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    10. Mahfuza Begum & Muhammad Mehedi Masud & Lubna Alam & Mazlin Bin Mokhtar & Ahmad Aldrie Amir, 2022. "The Adaptation Behaviour of Marine Fishermen towards Climate Change and Food Security: An Application of the Theory of Planned Behaviour and Health Belief Model," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(21), pages 1-24, October.
    11. Md. Monirul Islam & Aparna Barman & Makidul Islam Khan & Gour Gobinda Goswami & Bulbul Siddiqi & Sharif A. Mukul, 2022. "Sustainable Livelihood for Displaced Rohingyas and Their Resilience at Bhashan Char in Bangladesh," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(10), pages 1-14, May.
    12. Qin Zhang & Fengqi Cui & Luwei Dai & Bing Feng & Yunjing Lu & Haiping Tang, 2019. "Pastoralists’ perception of and adaptation strategies for climate change: associations with observed climate variability," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 96(3), pages 1387-1412, April.
    13. Prahlad Lamichhane & Michalis Hadjikakou & Kelly K. Miller & Brett A. Bryan, 2022. "Climate change adaptation in smallholder agriculture: adoption, barriers, determinants, and policy implications," Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, Springer, vol. 27(5), pages 1-24, June.

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