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Climate Change and Coastal Community Adaptations in India

Presented by

Prof. Dr. K.T. Thomson

Principal Investigator (ARTISTICC-India)

School of Industrial Fisheries

Cochin University of Science and Technology

Cochin, Kerala, India

at

Brest, Brittany, France

March 10-14, 2014

Indian scenario

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Indian coastal areas and communities

• Long coast line of around 8000 kilometers • Highly diverse coast

– Beaches, backwaters, mangroves, salt producing units – Coastal agriculture and aquaculture, tourism

(spiritual, sport)

• Diverse communities • Livelihood dependency

– High density of population compared to other areas – Over 63 million people from costal communities in

the states of Gujarat, Kerala, Tamilnadu and Orissa in India are highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, particularly sea-level rise

• Low levels of technologies

Indian costal zone Major Features

• Rapid state sponsored transformation drive towards modernization

• Strong state regulations

• Privatization of coastal areas and ecosystems

• Community resistance against state regulations

• Climate change threats

• Sea level rise, Tsunami, beach erosion, winds and typhoons, salt intrusion, drinking water problems

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Study Areas

Gujarat

Tamil Nadu

Orrisa

Kerala

INDIA

Bay of Bengal

Arabian Sea

Indian Ocean

Pakistan China

Study areas • Two locations each in the west and east coasts

• West coast • Vypin Island Kerala and

• Kutch Bay in Gujarat (To be decided)

• East coast – Nagapatanam coast in Tamil Nadu

– Orissa Coast (To be decided)

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Gujarat

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Orissa

Andra Pradesh

ThiruvallurChennai

Kancheepuram

Villuppuram

Cuddalore

Nagapattinam

Pondicherry

ThiruvarurThanjavur

Pudukkottai

Ramanathapuram

ThoothukkudiThirunelveli

Kanyakumari

Karnataka

Kerala

Coastal Districts of Tamil Nadu

Bay of Bengal

Tamil Nadu

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Andra Pradesh

ThiruvallurChennai

Kancheepuram

Villuppuram

Cuddalore

Pondicherry

Thanjavur

Pudukkottai

Ramanathapuram

ThoothukkudiThirunelveli

Kanyakumari

Karnataka

Kerala

Coastal Districts of Tamil Nadu

Bay of Bengal

Tamil Nadu Nagapattinam

Thiruvarur

Sirkali Taluk

Tharangambadi Taluk

Myladumthurai Taluk

Nagapattinam Taluk

Kilvelur Taluk

Thirukkuvalai Taluk

Vedaranyam Taluk

Strucutre of Taluks in Nagapattinam District

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• Geographical characteristics of Nagapattinam district – Bay of Bengal

– Estuary

– Agrarian community

– Aquaculture intervention

• Communities – Marine fishermen

• Traditional fishermen

• Motorized fishermen

• Small scale mechanized fishermen

– Inland fishermen • Aquaculture entrepreneurs

– Salt industries

– Paddy farmers

Andra Pradesh

ThiruvallurChennai

Kancheepuram

Villuppuram

Cuddalore

Nagapattinam

Pondicherry

ThiruvarurThanjavur

Pudukkottai

Ramanathapuram

ThoothukkudiThirunelveli

Karnataka

Kerala

Coastal Districts of Tamil Nadu

Bay of Bengal

Tamil Nadu

Kanyakumari

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• Climate change threats

• Sea level rise, Tsunami, beach erosion, winds and typhoons, salt intrusion, drinking water problems

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Case study Climate Adaptations in Vypin Island,

Kerala, India

• Vypin Early 1960s

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Vypin Island:Land use map 2000

Low-Lying Islands: Already very close to sea levels and are vulnerable to sea-level rise.

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• Proposed objectives of the study

– To present an historical account of the political ecology of Vypin Island since its formation

– To identify climate variability and vulnerabilities of actants (communities, industry, state and non human elements) in the Island.

– To compose institutions and networks that foster sustainable adaptations to changing climate

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Methodology

• Study area

– Socio economic and political setting of Vyppin

• Demographic trends

• Ecological trends

• Multiple drivers of change – Economic development trends

– Climate change

• Political trends

• Institutional dynamics and trends

• Governance trends and dynamics

Present social structure

• Vyppin Island formed around early 1300 A.D

due to a natural flooding in the region and its

interaction with Arabian sea

• Ecosystem Communities

• Konkinies, Syrian catholic Latin Catholics

• Ezhava and other Scheduled caste communities

• Cultural entities

• Sree varaha Gowreeswara temple

• Syrian church Manjumatha Church

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Varaha

Resource system

• Resource sector

– Fisheries, Agriculture, Tourism, Petrochemical industries etc

– Size of the resource system

• Pokkali land area

• Three mechanized landing centers

• One artisanal landing area

• Clarity of system boundaries

– 25 Km mainland

– Two estuaries, Cochin and Munabam

– Back water and marine area etc

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• Human constructed activities – Fishing sector – Agriculture sector – Industrial Sector – Service sector

• Productivity systems – Fishing – Agriculture

• Pokkali, Coconut farms, Prawn filtration farms etc

– Industrial sector • Petro chemical industries

– Service sector • Tourism industry • Traders etc

Resource Actors • Number of actors

– Fisheries – Agriculture – Tourism – Industry

• Socio economic attributes of actors – Economic status of different actors – Cultural status of different actors

• History of actors • Locations • Leadership/ Entrepreneurship

– Formal leadership – Primary producers leadership

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• Norms / Social capital – Networking of homogenous groups

– Networking of heterogeneous groups

• Knowledge of climate variability on resource system – Fisheries

– Agriculture

– Tourism

– Industry

• Opportunity

• Externality

Resource Units • Resource units mobility • Replacement structure • Interactions

– Strong to weak – Predatory or symbiotic

• Economic value • Size

– Large to small – Trophic level

• Distinctive markings • Distribution • Spatial heterogeneity • Temporal heterogeneity

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Governance system

Governance system

Rules

Constitutional rules

Collective choice rules

Operational rules

Property rights regime

Public

Private

Common

Mixed

Network structure

Centrality

Number of levels

Connectivity

Modularity

Actants

• Science

• Outside

• De animated

• Undisputable

• Non humans

• Facts

• Objectives

• Reality

• Politics, Culture, Religion, Supernaturalism, Superstitions

• Inside, Multiple

• Animated

• Disputable

• Human

• Values

• Subjective

• Appearance

House of Nature House of Society

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The task ahead

Actor Network Theory and

Climate Change Adaptation:

Developing a Conceptual Framework

Methodology workshop in Kerala?

• August 2014

• ARTISTICC team members interested

• Experts in actor network theory

– Latour?, others