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Building Vulnerable Islander Resilience to Natural Hazard: A Participatory Approach

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Handbook of Climate Change Resilience

Abstract

In last decade and so, disaster risk reduction community started paying attention on the notions of resilience; therefore, the purpose of this study is to provide an overview of human vulnerability and priority intervention issues based on vulnerability experience by which resilience can be promoted. In the context of natural hazards and disasters, coastal islands of Bangladesh are vulnerable where isolation itself works as an adverse factor regarding vulnerability so that this study chose Sandwip Island as the study area. The data collection methods included geospatial techniques and participatory rural appraisal (PRA) using 0–5 measuring scale followed by weighted matrix index (WMI) and in-depth interviews using semi-structured questionnaire. This research explored 8 major vulnerability issues and 17 urgent priority intervention issues for building vulnerable islander resilience. Authors identified that attempts in reducing vulnerability in inhabitation and livelihood is the starting point of being resilient, and it can be promoted further by undertaking interventions such as local infrastructure development and improvement in community facilities, i.e., long-term adaptation at community level, not only the post disaster responses. Finally, this research provides guideline of how resilience of coastal islanders can be promoted one step forward in the face of natural hazards and disasters.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geography and Environment, Faculty of Life and Earth Sciences, Jagannath University, Dhaka, Bangladesh

    Riffat Mahmood

  2. Department of Geography and Environment, Faculty of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Dhaka, Dhaka, Bangladesh

    A. Q. M. Mahbub

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  1. Riffat Mahmood
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  2. A. Q. M. Mahbub
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Correspondence to Riffat Mahmood .

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  1. FTZ-NK, Hamburg University of Applied Sciences , Hamburg, Germany

    Walter Leal Filho

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Mahmood, R., Mahbub, A.Q.M. (2018). Building Vulnerable Islander Resilience to Natural Hazard: A Participatory Approach. In: Leal Filho, W. (eds) Handbook of Climate Change Resilience. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-71025-9_107-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-71025-9_107-1

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