“Resilient livelihoods?” Insights from Tanguar Haor in Bangladesh

As a less developed country, Bangladesh is highly vulnerable to environmental stressors such as floods, cyclones, drought, and heatwaves, among others. These environmental stressors intersect with anthropogenic (e.g., social, economic, and political) drivers and adversely impact the lives and livelihoods of millions of people, particularly those who are economically marginalized and whose livelihoods depend on natural resources. While there is a growing body of work measuring the livelihood vulnerability of poor people in relation to climate-related shocks and stressors in Bangladesh, few studies offer a qualitative examination of how people cope with and adapt to stressors, specifically focusing on livelihood resilience. Existing resilience research in Bangladesh has focused on measuring resilience rather than understanding the experience of living with such stressors. This thesis aims to understand the experiences of households and the relationship between their livelihoods and stressors; how their experiences influence decisions about livelihood adaptation strategies; and how these strategies contribute (or not) to building livelihood resilience. Using an integrated concept of livelihood resilience, these questions are examined through an empirical focus on Tanguar Haor—the internationally significant and critical Ramsar wetland of north-eastern Bangladesh. Interpretative and qualitative methods including semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions with Tanguar Haor villagers with different livelihoods and other key informants (e.g., government officials, NGOs activists), place local experiences and accounts at the centre of the analysis.