Climate Resilient Coastal Zone Development in Bangladesh: Participatory Governance for Common Resources Management

Abstract

The current scenario in coastal zone of Bangladesh is characterized by a dispersed and ineffective manner of increasing/regenerating natural capital, which leads to increased competition and conflict over scarce resources. In context to this scenario, appropriate processes to adapt policy, governance arrangements and co-management practices for forest resource development along the coastline in response to climate change have not been developed or implemented. This is further aggravated, as there is a communication gap between local resource management initiatives and scientific communities engaged in natural resources management. There is also a lack of both financial and technical assistance for local community-based users to improve their adaptive capacities through targeted training and funding for innovative trial and demonstration which can make a breakthrough in poverty reduction. Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper of the country always focussed on the economic development and income generation activities but the issue of the empowerment of rural community efforts for resource generation hardly received due attention while the latter can be instrumental as a catalyst for the sustainability of poverty alleviation strategies of the country. The trend of economic development is not eco-friendly. Such a mismatch of productive interaction between social capital and natural capital is one of the critical factors for sustaining the vicious cycle of poverty.