Perception, problems, and risks to climate change adaptation: A study adjacent to sundarbans mangrove forest, Bangladesh

Abstract The south-western coastal area of Bangladesh proximity to Sundarbans is a hot spot of climate change. The perception and problems along with associated risks to the adaptation of climate change are not well understood. However, the present study was conducted in 2020–2021 through a multistage sampling technique, questionnaire survey, and focus group discussions (FGD). In addition, the Likert scale and the INFORM model are used to understand perceptions, problems, and extent of risks response to climate change adaptation in the study area. This study illustrates that early-aged illiterate, medium families (5–7 in numbers) and $ 18.45–$ 36.88 per month income level are more susceptible to the adaptation of climate change. The majority of the respondents are dependent on natural resources, such as rainwater (67.3%), dried leaves (65.4%, and fishing from Sundarbans (80.6%). Besides, most of the respondents experienced disasters (66.7%), water logging and salinity (65.05%), waterborne diseases (89.5%), and monetary problems (81%), which forced them to stay in a more critical lifestyle. The perception level was high in the unconcerned level (77.15%) followed by concerned (11.4%) and very concerned (9.5%), while only 1.95% showed neutral and none of them were very concerned. Likewise, in the study region, respondents are confronted with a variety of risks and exposure (42%), vulnerabilities (33%), and lack of capacity (25%). Also, significant differences in perception level and no significant differences were observed in risk level in this study. These findings insights into the necessity of educational and financial interventions to optimize identified risks and problems and increase the perception level of effective policy-making processes and adaptation strategies to the adaptation of climate change.