Sustainable livelihoods and people’s vulnerability in the face of coastal hazards (original) (raw)
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Understanding the Social Vulnerability of Coastal Communities
International Journal of Environmental Science and Development, 2015
The Philippines ranks as one of the countries most vulnerable to increased severity of tropical storms. Its vulnerability to climate change is amplified by it archipelagic geography and the fact that it is a developing country. This study aims to understand the factors affecting the social vulnerability of fourteen (14) coastal barangays of Zamboanga City to climate-related hazards using participatory and community-based approaches. Results show that coastal communities and coastal resources have been exposed to climate-related hazards like floods, long periods of drought, erratic rainfall patterns, landslide, storm surge, sea-level rise, receding shoreline and warmer seas. Coastal communities' sensitivity to climate-related hazards relies mainly on their dependence on coastal resources for subsistence, livelihood and socio-cultural activities. Factors that affect their level of capacity to adapt include their local environmental knowledge, financial status, ability to plan and reorganize , livelihood diversity, attachment to place and attachment to livelihood.
Fishing communities depend on natural resources to fulfill their livelihood needs, making them more vulnerable during climatic events. However, despite the impacts brought by climate hazards, fishing communities have adaptation strategies and the capacity to be resilient. The study assessed fishing communities' exposure and capacity to adapt to various climatic events by determining their resilience to natural hazards. A focus group discussion (N = 80) and stakeholder meetings (N = 100) were conducted to assess the resilience of fishers in selected fishing villages in Surigao del Sur. A total of six fishing villages with 10–15 fisher participants attended the focus groups. Twelve behavioral indicators were used for the three components of resilience: preparedness, coping, and adaptive capacity. The finding shows that Habag and Nurcia were most exposed to climate hazards among fishing villages in Surigao del Sur, with an average of 3.14. However, Nurcia village had the highest av...
Framework Of Disaster Preparedness Among Coastal Communities In Davao City, Philippines
The Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, 2018
This study aimed to develop framework of disaster preparedness in communities of coastal barangay's in Davao City, Philippines. Responses from Barangay Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Committee (BDRRMC) members and residents were processed and analyzed through exploratory factor analysis. Results of the study showed that those coastal Barangay which have sufficient Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) and have frequently encountered coastal disasters are more prepared and they seriously implement disaster risk reduction programming. Technically , majority of the respondents were capacitated through series of skills trainings. Furthermore , the study was able to generate five dimensions of disaster preparedness among coastal communities of Davao City namely; awareness and knowledge on disaster risk reduction protocol, structural adaptation, governance, household disaster mitiga-tion management and localized emergency management system. On the other hand, the disaster risk index among coastal communities is statistically high in terms of awareness and knowledge on disaster risk reduction protocol, household disaster mitigation management, and localized emergency management system while coastal communities are moderately prepared in terms of structural adaptation and governance. Finally, the study concluded that disaster preparedness practices matter to political leadership as well as sufficient financial capacity to support disaster preparedness.
Four successive typhoons (Unding, Violeta, Winnie and Yoyong) hit Infanta, Quezon in December 2004 inducing landslides in the upland areas and inundating the lowland and coastal areas where flashfloods carrying logs, rocks and thick mud covered community settlements and agricultural farm. Farms in the lowland areas were buried in mud and rocks preventing cultivation for many years and causing communities to shift livelihood. The paper aims to understand the influence of the natural resource degradation on the typhoon-induced floods and landslides as well as to identify measures to reduce risk from and adapt to the impacts of these disasters. Household survey and participatory rural appraisal were conducted in three ecological zones (upland, lowland and coastal ecosystem) of the municipality of Infanta to study their livelihood adaptations. The survey data were analysed using factor, cluster and conjoint techniques. Using these analyses, adaptation gaps were identified and policy rec...
International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction
Responding to coastal hazards is a daily challenge for populations in low-lying coastal areas all over the globe. How local communities develop accommodating strategies for these hazards remains largely under-emphasized. Filling this knowledge gap is vital to connect the big picture science of sea-level rise with the adaptation needs and capabilities of affected communities. This paper contributes new understanding by presenting the results of original, mixed-methods research (a household survey and focus group discussions) that documents the accommodating strategies of communities and households in the Semarang Bay on northern Java. We find that participatory capacity and self-organization are key factors in enabling communities to live in unstable environments. Coastal hazards have become a normal element of live and are not perceived as severe risks. Rather than retreating or gaining permanent protection, people found ways to accommodate to and hence live with floods. This result adds an important dimension to contemporary theorization of responding to coastal hazards. Although the IPCC (2014) acknowledges 'accommodating' as one form of adaptation alongside 'retreating' and 'protecting', it tends to be overlooked as temporary and insubstantial compared with the latter responses. This research finds that accommodating strategies, such as informal loans, are effective means for people to maintain their livelihoods in hazard-affected coastal areas on a more substantial basis than recognized in much of the literature. We therefore argue that accommodating should be distinguished from both long-term adaptation and short-term coping and deserves elevated consideration by researchers examining hazard response modes among coastal populations.
Everyday crises: marginal society livelihood vulnerability and adaptability to hazards
This study discusses the relationship between poverty and vulnerability. It investigates how vulnerability can be integrated into the livelihood framework for poverty alleviation and vulnerability mitigation, as well as the development of adaptive livelihood mechanisms to combat increased risk from natural disasters. Vulnerability is conventionally viewed as risk factors threatening livelihoods; this study provides new insights into vulnerability by viewing vulnerability as endogenous to the development process and embedded in everyday lives and livelihood practices. Poverty and vulnerability reduction are holistically grounded in the coupling of human and environmental systems to facilitate positive feedback loop between human economic activity and the environment. Social and cultural capitals are highlighted in this study for the significant role they play in inspiring positive change and empowering inner (grass roots) and outer (social welfare institutions) networks as well as social learning to help people to adapt during development.
International Journal of Disaster Management, 2021
Due to geographical locations, the Southwestern coastal region of Bangladesh is frequently experiencing climate change induced disasters such as cyclones, floods, and tidal surges. However, local communities at this region have a long history of coping with the adverse effects of these disasters. Consequently, this research assessed the social vulnerability towards natural disasters through local peoples’ perception and identified the existing immediate response against natural disasters at Kazirchar village in Muladi Upazila of Barishal district of the coastal region. In this study, a well-structured questionnaire survey, and focus group discussions were conducted to collect primary data. The collected data were processed and analysed to present the existing impacts of natural disasters. Besides, the immediate responses were categorized into different sectors. The study found that, the most prevalent coastal disaster in Kazirchar village was cyclone. About 48% of surveyed responden...
2013
This research aimed to assess the contribution of livelihood recovery efforts, including communities' own initiatives and external support, to people's livelihoods in the tsunami-affected areas in Aceh Province, Indonesia. Using a mixed-methods approach and covering fourteen tsunami-affected villages located in Pidie and Aceh Besar district, the study adopts the concept of Sustainable Livelihoods and modifies the Sustainable Livelihoods Framework (SLF) for its critical analysis. The findings show that people's strategies were influenced by local values, practices and institutions, previous hardships, and contributions from different livelihoods recovery programmes implemented by relief and development agencies. In dealing with the impacts of the tsunami, men and women in the affected communities showed various short-term responses or coping strategies. For longer term recovery, communities developed adaptation and transformation strategies for their livelihood activities...
Livelihood Coping and Recovery from Disaster: The Case of Coastal Bangladesh
2013
Bangladesh has a long history of coping with and recovery from disasters. Although climate extremes are increasingly taking huge tolls especially in the southwestern part of the country, households are resisting the negative outcomes of these events eventually. This research explores the livelihood coping and recovery strategies of the people of a coastal village in the wake of a cyclone, Aila. The vulnerability approach to disaster is adopted as theoretical framework of the research, in which disaster is considered as hazards affecting vulnerable people. Using semi-structured interviews and observations, the coping strategies of a cyclone affected village community are examined. The study finds that people's livelihood coping and recovery largely depend on the indigenous knowledge. Results show that households followed diverse strategies such as livelihood diversification, informal risk sharing within the community and migration in response to the cyclone Aila. The study also addresses the role of local government, civil society organizations and communities and finds that these actors hardly addressed the root causes of vulnerability.