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Volume 8 Journal of Ecosystem & Ecography Biodiversity Congress 2018
July 26-27, 2018
Page 13
conferenceseries.com
July 26-27, 2018 Melbourne, Australia
7th International Conference on
Biodiversity Conservation and Ecosystem Management
Vulnerability of women’s livelihoods and their coping mechanisms in the face of climate change in coastal
regions of Bangladesh
Bangladesh is frequently cited as a country that is most vulnerable to climate change. In Bangladesh, most of the adverse
effects of climate change occur in the form of extreme weather events, such as cyclone, flood, drought, salinity ingress,
river bank erosion and tidal surge, leading to large scale damage to crops, employment, livelihoods and the national well-being.
Although it is generally stated that women are relatively more vulnerable than men in the context of climate change, few studies
have been conducted to closely examine this statement, especially in Bangladesh. The present study, investigates the structure of
women’s livelihoods, livelihood vulnerabilities and coping capacity in the context of climate variability and change in a disaster
vulnerable coastal area of Bangladesh. Utilizing the concepts of Sustainable Livelihood Framework (SLF) and Disaster Crunch
Model (DCM), this study allows for a greater understanding of these issues on the ground. The results show that the distribution
of five livelihood capitals (human, natural, financial, social and physical) of women are heavily influenced by several climatic
events, such as cyclones that periodically affect the region. Women also face several vulnerabilities in their livelihoods, including
income, household assets, health, food security, education, water sources, sanitation and transportation systems, because of
ongoing climate change impacts. The results indicate that it is extremely important to instigate strategies to help build the
adaptive capacity of women to reduce the burden created by their livelihood vulnerability.
Biography
Salim Momtaz is an Associate Professor and Director of Graduate Studies, School of Environmental and Life Sciences at the University of Newcastle, Australia. He
teaches in the area of sustainable resource management. He has received his BSc and MSc degrees in Geography from the University of Dhaka, Bangladesh. He
has obtained a PhD in Sustainable Development from the University of London under a Commonwealth Scholarship. His research interests are environmental and
natural resource management, climate change, sustainable urban planning.
SalimMomtaz
University of Newcastle, Australia
Salim Momtaz, J Ecosyst Ecogr 2018, Volume 8
DOI: 10.4172/2157-7625-C4-040