Selim, Samiya A

The complex and dynamic livelihoods in coastal Bangladesh are disrupted by a combination of factors, including climate change-induced sea-level rise (SLR), repeated cyclones, saline intrusion, and development activities. The introduction of commercial aquaculture, policy failures, and local power struggles further compound the challenges. Sea-level rise and saline water intrusion create favorable conditions for shrimp farming, which receive policy support and corporate investment. The study finds that the small holding and subsistence farmers prefer fresh-water aquaculture and agriculture over shrimp farming and influence local governance system for preferred livelihoods.
Using an ethnographic approach, this paper critically analyzes the local government’s response and the adopted strategies to ensure preferred livelihoods in an uncertain and changing climate and socio-political context. Two major strategies employed by the local council include banning commercial shrimp farming inside flood protection embankments and restoring common water and land resources to encourage agroecological practices.
This paper examines the critical role of place-based, localized governance systems for protecting and restoring commons i.e access to land access and water systems that benefit communities over corporate investment. It highlights the importance of community-centric governance approaches and bottom-up policy frameworks in fostering resilience by returning the rights of commons to the communities.
The study emphasizes the need for localized governance of commons and a bottom-up policy approach to enhance social resilience of coastal communities facing the complex dual challenges of climate change and human intervention. By analyzing the role of the local governance system in managing shared resources, the paper aims to provide actionable insights for policymakers, practitioners, and community stakeholders involved in common resource management and policy formulation.