piloting community-based adaptation activities: early experiences in bangladesh
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Piloting Community-Based Adaptation Activities: Early Experiences in Bangladesh. Angie Dazé and Ahsan Uddin Ahmed Adaptation Day at CoP11 Sunday, December 4, 2005. The Reducing Vulnerability to Climate Change (RVCC) Project. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Piloting Community-Based Adaptation Activities: Early Experiences in Bangladesh
Angie Dazé and Ahsan Uddin AhmedAdaptation Day at CoP11
Sunday, December 4, 2005
The Reducing Vulnerability to Climate Change (RVCC) Project Project Goal: To increase capacity of communities in
the southwest region of Bangladesh to adapt to the adverse effects of climate change
Funding provided by the Canada Climate Change Development Fund (CCCDF) at CIDA
Managed by CARE Canada and implemented by CARE Bangladesh through local partner organizations
Duration: January 2002- January 2006
RVCC works in six districts in the southwestern coastal region of Bangladesh
Assessment of Vulnerability Project undertook 78 group vulnerability assessments Examined what people are vulnerable to, what aspects of
well-being are affected, and what coping strategies are currently employed
Vulnerability contexts were ranked in terms of their impact on well-being
Out of the ten elements most frequently identified as having high or medium impact on well-being, six will be directly affected by climate change:
SalinityFloodWaterloggingDroughtWind/stormErratic/heavy rainfall
Developing Adaptation Strategies Based on findings of
vulnerability assessment, adaptation strategies were designed
Focus on practical solutions for food and income security and access to safe water to increase coping capacity
Strategies designed to address current challenges and development needs in a way that is sustainable in the longer term context of climate change
New ways to cope End of project evaluations
showed that project participants feel that their coping capacity has increased
Reliance on drastic coping strategies such as migrating for work, selling land and assets, and eating non-traditional foods was reduced
People also felt that their ability to access services and to participate in local organizations was increased, and this supported their ability to adapt
An Integrated Approach to Adaptation
Approach focused on capacity development (for project participants, local partners, government) and this was found to facilitate adaptation
Awareness raising and advocacy efforts have had positive results in terms of generating interest in climate change in the region
Working in Partnership
Working with local partners increased relevance and sustainability of adaptation activities
Emphasis on creating linkages with local government leaders and service providers
Supportive relationship has been established which will extend beyond the life of the project
Final Thoughts RVCC piloted an integrated, community-led
approach to reducing environmental vulnerability Created an enabling environment for coping with
current challenges, while addressing poverty and developing adaptive capacity for the future
Project clearly demonstrates the relevance of climate change issues to rural development and livelihoods programming