Vulnerability of coastal fishing communities to climate change : a case study of Laemsing District, Chanthaburi Province, Thailand | |
| Author | Jirawat Panpeng |
| Call Number | AIT Diss. no.CC-18-01 |
| Subject(s) | Climatic change--Thailand--Chanthaburi--Case studies Fishing--Environmental aspects--Thailand--Chanthaburi |
| Note | A Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Climate Change and Sustainable Development, School of Environment, Resources and Development |
| Publisher | Asian Institute of Technology |
| Series Statement | Dissertation ; no. CC-18-01 |
| Abstract | Thailand has to inevitably withstand climate change and its impacts on the environment and quality of people’s lives, especially in coastal areas where such problems occur more severely. This research employed mixed methods to achieve the research objectives of identifying the problems related to climate change and their impacts at present and in the future in Laemsing District, Chanthaburi Province, and in assessing the current awareness of as well as the present and potential vulnerability of coastal fishing communities on such climate change-relevant problems. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected from primary sources using several tools like key informant interviews, focus group discussion, questionnaires, and field measurements, and secondary sources using literature review. Various scientific tools like climate model, GIS and remote sensing were applied to map and quantify the eroded and inundated areas as well as affected people. Descriptive and inferential statistical tools and several equations were applied to assess the degree of awareness and vulnerability of people to climate change and its impacts, respectively. The District as study area, had been confronted with continuously increasing climate change-relevant phenomena, including heavy rainfall, sea-level rise, coastal erosion and tidal flooding affecting livelihoods of coastal people through reduced fishing days and aquaculture production, and environmental degradation. Based on A1F1 and GISS-EH for 2050, relative sea-level rise from 2000 will be 0.50 m. Erosion and seawater inundation due to the rising rate will cause land loss of 6.56 km2 and affect 741 households, and 87.77 km2 with 2060 households, respectively. Awareness of coastal fishing people is not adequate while severity of sea-level rise and its shoreline retreat and seawater inundation continue to increase. Comparative current and future vulnerability assessment is illustrated in three aspects: exposure, sensitivity and adaptive capacity. Kohpred with 16 km shoreline had longest shoreline erosion and current vulnerability at 1.06. Bangkachai has highest vulnerability to future sea-level change at 1.15. The research provides recommendations for possible implementation by policy makers and the academe. Firstly, the options for reducing and coping with vulnerability should be considered in lowering the exposure, preventing the sensitivity and enhancing the adaptive capacity that are associated with two stages of development, the urgent and medium terms. Secondly, assessment of the effects of seawater inundation should be recognized, where results of the case study as a bottom-up approach could be adopted in conducting researches on climate adaptation, and the mixed method—awareness assessment and climate impact prediction—could be used to help the readers recognize whether the current level of people’s awareness on climate change-relevant problems is valid in the future, and outputs from the questionnaire surveys, key informant interviews and focus group discussions could provide clear and plausible information on climate change and its impacts as well as on the coping capacity of the study area. |
| Keyword | climate change; vulnerability; awareness; coastal erosion; seawater inundation; Thailand |
| Year | 2018 |
| Corresponding Series Added Entry | Asian Institute of Technology. Dissertation ; no. CC-18-01 |
| Type | Dissertation |
| School | School of Environment, Resources, and Development (SERD) |
| Department | Department of Energy and Climate Change (Former title: Department of Energy, Environment, and Climate Change (DEECC)) |
| Academic Program/FoS | Climate Change and Sustainable Development (CC) |
| Chairperson(s) | Ahmad, Mokbul Morshed; |
| Examination Committee(s) | Vilas Nitivattananon ;Salin, K.R.; |
| Scholarship Donor(s) | Asian Institute of Technology Fellowship; |
| Degree | Thesis (Ph. D.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 2018 |