Indigenous knowledge and disaster-related coping mechanisms: an exploratory study with the Rakhaine people in Bangladesh.

Frequent disasters are recurrent phenomena in the coastal areas of Bangladesh due to climate change. Over generations coastal people have experienced various forms of disasters including cyclones, floods, river erosion, land degradation and salinization. Concurrently, they have developed adaptive capacities and resilience for mitigating and reducing the risks of these disasters in their own ways. For these reasons, globally, increasing attention is being paid to understanding local coping mechanisms and local knowledge in relation to disasters. However, little research has been conducted with ethnic minority people’s disaster-related coping mechanisms which have been proven to be effective in addressing disasters. To address this void, the aim of this proposed study is to explore Rakhaine people’s disaster-related coping mechanisms and knowledge which have been gathered over generations and have been found to be effective in dealing with various forms of natural calamities.

A qualitative research approach will be applied to gather information from the ethnic Rakhaine communities living in coastal regions of Bangladesh. For the purpose of this study, the Rakhaine ethnic minority people of Patuakhali will be purposefully chosen. To collect data, a combination of participatory observation method, focus group discussions (FGD) and key informant interview (KII) methods will be utilized. By using purposive and snowball sampling techniques, an equal number of male and female participants will be recruited to this study. Findings will be presented through seminars, conferences, research reports and peer-reviewed scientific journal articles. Significantly, this study would generate new knowledge which would inform disaster-related intervention programs. Consequently, knowledge from this study can be used to achieve some of the sustainable development goals (SDGs) such as SDG 11(sustainable cities and communities), SDG 10 (reduce inequalities), 13 (climate action), and 16 (peace, justice and strong institutions). Lastly, this study will assist policymakers to re-think the value of local Indigenous knowledge in formulating policies regarding disaster management in coastal communities.

• Research Project