Effects of livelihood strategies on mangrove-forest resource : Do the consumption behaviour of households jeopardise the forest resource base?

Abstract

Purpose

The cumulative effects of climate change exacerbate interruption of social-ecological system. The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether the consumption smoothing along with other socioeconomic parameters of households affects the common pool resource base of a forest in an economic depression resulted from climate change triggered disasters.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper is a field level study of Koyra sub-district in the Southwestern coastal region of Bangladesh. Several parameters namely climatic trends and events, damage pattern suffered by households, change in land ownership and occupation pattern and consumption dependency pattern were considered. Methods used for data collection were household questionnaire survey and focus group discussions in the study area.

Findings

Both the intensity and frequency of climate change led catastrophes are found higher in the study area resulting damage of assets and capital goods of households. The average annual disaster damage borne by per household is found US$177. Over the last two decades 8.21 per cent households become landless. During same time span more than 25 per cent households switched from cropping to other non-agricultural occupations and more than 26 per cent households depend on forest resource for their consumption smoothing.

Originality/value

The paper provides insights how climate change led disasters induce the households to depend on the resource from the mangrove forest Sundarbans for their livelihood earning as well as consumption smoothing.

Citation

Nasif Ahsan, M. (2014), "Effects of livelihood strategies on mangrove-forest resource : Do the consumption behaviour of households jeopardise the forest resource base?", Management of Environmental Quality, Vol. 25 No. 6, pp. 696-711. https://doi.org/10.1108/MEQ-05-2013-0048