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Integrating ecosystem services and climate change responses in coastal wetlands development plans for Bangladesh

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Abstract

This study explores the integration of ecosystem services and climate change adaptation in development plans for coastal wetlands in Bangladesh. A new response framework for adaptation is proposed, based on an empirical analysis and consultations with stakeholders, using a modified version of the DPSIR (Driver-Pressure-State-Impact-Response) framework. The framework is tested in the Narail district of Bangladesh, where temperature has increased by about 1 °C in the summer in combination with an increase in rainfall of 0.70 mm day−1 yr−1 in the last decade. Calibrated model (MAGICC/SENGEN) projections forecast, on average, a temperature increase of up to 5 °C and an increase in rainfall of 25 % by the end of this century. Water diversion in the upstream regions of the Ganges River delta contributes to increase water scarcity in the dry season. Enhanced rainfall and the immense pressure of water discharges from upstream water sources are increasing the risk of floods and river erosion in the dry season. An increase in the water holding capacity of rivers, wetlands and canals by dredging is urgently required. The empirical model of this study is intended to support adaptation planning and monitoring in Bangladesh and can be used in other data-poor areas which will suffer from climate change.

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Notes

  1. 1gC ≡ 3.67 gCO2e

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Acknowledgments

Sarwar Hossain acknowledges fellowship provided by the Netherlands Minister for Development Co-operation. JAD acknowledges support from the project ‘Assessing Health, Livelihoods, Ecosystem Services And Poverty Alleviation In Populous Deltas (NE/J002755/1), funded with support from the Ecosystem Services for Poverty Alleviation Programme (ESPA). The UK ESPA programme is funded by the Department for International Development (DFID), the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC). Authors would like to thank Pip Simpson from the University of Southampton for his reviewing and commenting on the paper. More Appreciation goes to Abdul Muhit and Sopna Rani for their kind support during data collection in the study area.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Geography and Environment, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK

    Md. Sarwar Hossain & John A. Dearing

  2. Environmental Sciences Group, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands

    Lars Hein & Frans I. Rip

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  1. Md. Sarwar Hossain
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  2. Lars Hein
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Correspondence to Md. Sarwar Hossain.

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Hossain, M.S., Hein, L., Rip, F.I. et al. Integrating ecosystem services and climate change responses in coastal wetlands development plans for Bangladesh. Mitig Adapt Strateg Glob Change 20, 241–261 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11027-013-9489-4

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