The Meanings of Community-Led Disaster Adaptation Strategies

Abstract

While Bangladesh is facing a pressing issue with its high susceptibility to the impacts of human-created climate change within the region, there is hope in community-based approaches. Residents of the southern coastal region are not just vulnerable, but highly so, to periodic environmental disasters caused by climate crises. These disasters, including cyclones, storm surges, floods, and other such events, are escalating in frequency, scope, and intensity, posing a significant threat to the community. In this chapter, the Munda Indigenous community, 1 located in the southwestern area of Bangladesh, in the districts of Satkhira and Khulna, has adopted community-led disaster adaptation measures. Individuals must address and manage various natural calamities, such as cyclones, floods, salinity, intrusion, famines, and heatwaves. Roy (2024a); Siddiq et al. (2018); Datta et al. (2024) assert that the prevailing circumstances underscore individuals’ significant challenges in sustaining their subsistence near the Sundarbans forest.