Using the Social Ecological Model to Identify Barriers and Facilitators to Adapting Disaster Risk Reduction Strategies by Southwestern Coastal Communities in Bangladesh: A Qualitative Investigation.

Abstract

Bangladesh has worked to improve disaster adaptation strategies in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 13 (climate action). Notwithstanding recognitions and efforts, Bangladesh's coastal villages continue to encounter numerous challenges and require assistance to manage natural disasters, which remain a largely underexplored field of inquiry due to the absence of epistemological scholarships incorporating a socio-ecological point of view. With that in mind, this study aims at identifying multiple-level barriers and enablers to adapting disaster risk reduction strategies by the coastal community at Sharankhola upazila in Bangladesh. Focus Group (FG) and In-Depth Interview (IDI) methods were used to collect data from the purposefully selected disaster-affected coastal community in Bangladesh. In this study, FGs and IDIs utilized an interview topic guide, which was constructed upon the principles of the Social Ecological Model (SEM). Data gathered from the three FG and six IDI participants were analyzed using Framework Approach underpinned by the SEM. Besides, the SEM has also been a cornerstone for preparing the conceptual blueprint of the study as well as organizing and interpreting the outcomes of the research. The findings related to barriers and facilitators to adapting disaster risk reduction strategies are discussed specifically under five broad themes: (i) individual-level, (ii) family-level, (iii) community and societal-level, (iv) organizational-level, and (v) policy-level barriers and facilitators. Barriers to adapting disaster risk reduction included inadequate knowledge about disaster adaptation, household financial instability, poor cyclone forecasting systems, inadequate cyclone shelters, and insufficient media exposure. By contrast, being younger, strong family ties, social cohesion among community members, relief assistance, and media outreach played supportive roles for coastal communities in adapting to disasters. This research identifies essential initiatives for improving adaptation strategies, including training to enhance coastal peoples’ adaptation capabilities, organizing community awareness programs to mitigate social stigma and gender-related issues, developing community infrastructure and security systems, and increasing mass media exposure.