Development of livelihood vulnerability index for the coastal fishermen communities of Bangladesh using spatial information technique

Abstract The livelihood of the people in the dynamic coastal regions of Bangladesh is highly dependent on nature and thus is vulnerable to climatic events. The research study developed the Fishermen Livelihood Vulnerability Index (LVI) to measure the vulnerability of the fishing communities living in the coastal regions of Bangladesh. The weighted average method was used to measure the FLVI and the binary logistic regression was used to find out the determinants of vulnerability. The variables to measure vulnerability such as exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity were taken from the IPCC climate vulnerability framework. The results, based on the findings of a survey of 164 households from 3 coastal districts (Patuakhali, Khulna & Cox's Bazar) indicated that the coastal fishing communities are more vulnerable (FLVI = 0.48) compare to the people living in other parts of Bangladesh. The study also revealed that the livelihood activities of the coastal fishermen are mainly affected by the impacts of natural disasters. Spatial maps were prepared to show the distribution of the vulnerable areas with indicating the houses according to their level of vulnerability. The study also identified the most significant factors of vulnerability. As part of the analysis, it was found that the variables that had the most significant impact on fishermen livelihood vulnerability were natural disasters, diseases due to climate change, NGO and microcredit, income, and piracy problem. The study also identified that vulnerability factors are highly influenced by spatial characteristics and thereby identification of location specific factors is crucial in assessing and calculating vulnerability score. The study concluded that if location specific fishermen vulnerability factors are identified after certain interval with the active engagement of local communities can generate valuable information for developing appropriate strategy to secure their livelihood in a sustainable way.