Twentieth International Conference on Environmental, Cultural, Economic & Social Sustainability

Abstract

This qualitative study explores the extent to which the proposed ecotourism-based development of Chilika Lake: the largest brackish water lagoon in Asia, incorporates ecological conservation measures with Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and Climate Change Adaptation (CCA). It uses field data from Satapada region of the Chilika Lake located on east coast of India to highlight that the recent crisis in the fishing sector that involves two lakh fisher communities is triggered by a new sea mouth dredged in 2000. This, in combination with the movement of a large number of motorboats and the catching of juvenile fish, has forced the fishers to engage in dolphin-based tourism services as a coping mechanism. A consequence of this transition is the further endangerment of Irrawaddy dolphins and other aquatic species, making this form of nature-based tourism highly unsustainable. The study argues for a coastal governance framework that works around the principle of shared objectives involving multiple agencies pursuing diverse interests such as ecological conservation, disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation.