Livelihood Strategies and Resource Dependency Nexus in the Sundarbans

2017 
The short- and long-term impacts from natural hazards, which are thought to be the consequences of climate change, interrupt the functions of the social-ecological system of the Sundarbans Mangrove Forest (SMF) in Bangladesh, which in turn affect the livelihood of people at risk. In the absence of sustainable livelihood options, over time these people have become more dependent on the resources of the Sundarbans. This study investigates how their livelihood strategies affect the dependency pattern on the common resources of this mangrove forest during economic depressions that resulted from disasters caused by extreme climatic events. The focus of this investigation is on a sub-district known as Koyra, located in southwestern coastal Bangladesh, which has the longest border with the Sundarbans. Relevant parameters such as climatic trends and extreme events, financial-physical-structural damage patterns, socioeconomic peculiarities, changes in consumption expenditure, asset portfolio, and occupation patterns are considered. Data are collected from 420 households through face-to-face questionnaires and seven focus group discussions (FGDs). The empirical results suggest that the higher intensity and frequency of natural hazards have led to substantially higher damages of asset and capital goods. Over the last two decades, around 8 % of the sampled households have become landless; more than 25 % have switched from crops to other nonagricultural occupations; and more than 26 % have started depending on forest resources for their consumption smoothing. In addition, each household has incurred annual disaster damages of on average US$ 177. Combined with the absence of well-defined property rights, the people at risk have become more dependent on resources from the SMF for their livelihoods as well as consumption smoothing, which eventually is likely to jeopardize the stock of renewable resources of this forest. We recommend redefining property rights to ensure a win-win platform for all the stakeholders.
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