Tracking community perspectives on climate resilience in Bangladesh
Local Water Development Board takes action against erosion by deploying workers to place sandbags along the eroding embankment in Panchil, Sirajgonj. Photo: Abir Abdullah/GTS
Over the last few decades, it has been recognised that adaptation approaches are more likely to succeed if they are rooted in local knowledge and empower communities to make their own decisions. However, research conducted by GTS and the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) in 2021 shows that the fine aspirations found in the documentation to engage and empower vulnerable communities are rarely matched by the reality on the ground.
In mid-2022, GTS partnered with IIED and the International Centre for Climate Change and Development (ICCCAD), to survey the opinions of more than 2,300 citizen in three areas of Bangladesh particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. The aim was to understand how they perceive the quality and impact of adaptation programmes in their communities, and the extent to which they feel their views, opinions and experiences are considered in decision-making.
The results will serve as the baseline to continue tracking local adaptation outcomes and the extent to which communities have a say in the way adaptation efforts are designed, implemented, monitored, and evaluated. The goal is to hold adaptation programmes accountable to the communities they seek to serve.
