Local strategies to build climate resilient communities in Bangladesh

Abstract

Climate risks threaten forests, riverbanks and agriculture communities in Bangladesh. This chapter examines three cases from Bangladesh where local communities have been using innovative methods for addressing these issues. With the pressure of high density of population, Bangladesh's forest cover has declined to as low as 10.7% despite the fact that 17.5% of the land is designated as forest land. Foresters across Bangladesh find it difficult to protect these lands due to high demand for fuelwood. The first case shows how developing an appropriate market chain is used to reduce pressure on forests. The second case shows how to use traditional knowledge to protect riverbanks from erosion in remote villages by using local and natural materials, reclaim agricultural land and also promote navigation. Given the threat of climate change and possible sea-level rise, these lands will be threatened with permanent waterlogging. The third and final case show how farmers in Bangladesh have used indigenous knowledge and begun producing agricultural crops using floating beds in waterlogged areas of Bangladesh. This is an effective adaptation strategy to deal with the vulnerability of countries against food insecurity in many of the developing countries.