Guest Editorial: Geographies of engagement, livelihoods and possibility in South and Southeast Asian deltas

In conclusion, this collection of papers shows that, just as delta environments are continually remade through the interplay of human intervention and environmental forces (more so than most other environments because of the dynamic nature of riverine erosion and deposition and the interface between land and sea), so too are livelihoods of delta dwellers continually adapting to the effects of similar sets of forces The three deltas considered here were perceived by colonial administrations as "food bowls" that would generate wealth in British India (the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna Delta) and Burma (the Ayeyarwady Delta), and for French colonial interests in Indo-China (the Mekong Delta) Delta regions in South and Southeast Asia have historically been key sites of trade, exchange and wealth-creation What remains difficult to answer is the question of how future delta economies and residents' livelihoods will change, particularly for the resource-poor, should the social-ecological delta systems cross tipping points and reach a point of collapse (Renaud I et al i , 2014) [Extracted from the article] Copyright of Singapore Journal of Tropical Geography is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use This abstract may be abridged No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract (Copyright applies to all Abstracts )