Impact of structural development projects on vulnerability of coastal communities to disaster

This research helps understand the complex human-environment relationships in an ecologically sensitive deltaic plain in the southwest coast of Bangladesh. It explores how large-scale physical infrastructure leads to transformation of an entire social-ecological system through alteration of natural environments, which eventually causes vulnerability of the community to disaster. This research also sheds light on development planning processes and their implications from a political ecology perspective. The findings highlight that, nature-humans coexistence is essential for development to be sustainable. The study proposes Social-Ecological System to be considered as a unit in formulating development plans for limiting the unintended negative consequences of infrastructure development.