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Mamun MAA, Li J, Cui A, Chowdhury R, Hossain ML. Climate-adaptive strategies for enhancing agricultural resilience in southeastern coastal Bangladesh: Insights from farmers and stakeholders. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0305609. [PMID: 38905289 PMCID: PMC11192385 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0305609] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2023] [Accepted: 06/03/2024] [Indexed: 06/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Climate change impacts crop production worldwide, and coastal regions are particularly vulnerable to its adverse effects. Given the projected rise in temperature and shifting precipitation patterns, it is crucial to examine the current challenges faced by farmers in coastal Bangladesh. Using Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) and Key Informant Interviews (KIIs), we assessed the perceptions and experiences of farmers and stakeholders regarding the existing agricultural practices, the challenges they face in crop cultivation, and the adoption of climate-adaptive practices in 2 sub-districts in the southeastern coastal region of Bangladesh. Moreover, using the Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI) and the Standardized Terrestrial Water Storage Index (STI), we assessed the frequency and intensity of different climatic conditions in these two sub-districts. Results show that 100% of the respondents reported an increase in dry climatic conditions, the occurrence of untimely precipitation, and a decline in irrigation water during the cropping season. All the respondents in the FGDs expressed a loss of crop production because of these climate-induced disturbances. Despite these challenges, farmers have been implementing several climate-adaptive practices. Among the 9 mentioned climate-adaptive practices, 50% of FGD respondents utilize organic fertilizers, 42% cultivate heat- and drought-resilient crop varieties, use improved irrigation and harvest rainwater, and 25% cultivate integrated crops. The results of quantitative analysis of 3- and 6-month SPEI and STI values show that this region experienced frequent and intense dry climatic conditions during the growing-season, which supports the farmers' and stakeholders' concern about the increasing occurrence of droughts during crop growing periods. The results suggest that despite adopting climate-resilient practices under increasing growing-season droughts, farmers require support from the government and NGOs in capacity-building training and input support (e.g., stress-resilient seeds). This study holds practical implications for government, NGOs, and policymakers for ensuring sustainable agricultural productivity in the coastal region of Bangladesh.
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Affiliation(s)
- Md. Abdullah Al Mamun
- Department of Geography, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, China
- Department of Food Technology and Nutrition Science, Noakhali Science and Technology University, Noakhali, Bangladesh
| | - Jianfeng Li
- Department of Geography, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, China
- Department of Geography and Resource Management, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Aihong Cui
- Department of Geography, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, China
| | - Raihana Chowdhury
- Department of Food Technology and Nutrition Science, Noakhali Science and Technology University, Noakhali, Bangladesh
| | - Md. Lokman Hossain
- Department of Geography, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, China
- Department of Environment Protection Technology, German University Bangladesh, Gazipur, Bangladesh
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Hossain ML, Li J, Lai Y, Beierkuhnlein C. Long-term evidence of differential resistance and resilience of grassland ecosystems to extreme climate events. ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT 2023; 195:734. [PMID: 37231126 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-023-11269-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2022] [Accepted: 04/19/2023] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Grassland ecosystems are affected by the increasing frequency and intensity of extreme climate events (e.g., droughts). Understanding how grassland ecosystems maintain their functioning, resistance, and resilience under climatic perturbations is a topic of current concern. Resistance is the capacity of an ecosystem to withstand change against extreme climate, while resilience is the ability of an ecosystem to return to its original state after a perturbation. Using the growing season Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVIgs, an index of vegetation growth) and the Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (a drought index), we evaluated the response, resistance, and resilience of vegetation to climatic conditions for alpine grassland, grass-dominated steppe, hay meadow, arid steppe, and semi-arid steppe in northern China for the period 1982-2012. The results show that NDVIgs varied significantly across these grasslands, with the highest (lowest) NDVIgs values in alpine grassland (semi-arid steppe). We found increasing trends of greenness in alpine grassland, grass-dominated steppe, and hay meadow, while there were no detectable changes of NDVIgs in arid and semi-arid steppes. NDVIgs decreased with increasing dryness from extreme wet to extreme dry. Alpine and steppe grasslands exhibited higher resistance to and lower resilience after extreme wet, while lower resistance to and higher resilience after extreme dry conditions. No significant differences in resistance and resilience of hay meadow under climatic conditions suggest the stability of this grassland under climatic perturbations. This study concludes that highly resistant grasslands under conditions of water surplus are low resilient, but low resistant ecosystems under conditions of water shortage are highly resilient.
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Affiliation(s)
- Md Lokman Hossain
- Department of Geography, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, China
- Department of Biogeography, University of Bayreuth, Universitätsstraße 30, 95447, Bayreuth, Germany
- Department of Environment Protection Technology, German University Bangladesh, Gazipur, Bangladesh
| | - Jianfeng Li
- Department of Geography, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, China.
- Institute for Research and Continuing Education, Hong Kong Baptist University, Shenzhen, China.
| | - Yangchen Lai
- Department of Geography, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, China
| | - Carl Beierkuhnlein
- Department of Biogeography, University of Bayreuth, Universitätsstraße 30, 95447, Bayreuth, Germany
- BayCEER, Bayreuth Center for Ecology and Environmental Research, Universitätsstr. 30, 95447, Bayreuth, Germany
- GIB, Geographical Institute Bayreuth, Universitätsstr. 30, 95447, Bayreuth, Germany
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Das AC, Shahriar SA, Chowdhury MA, Hossain ML, Mahmud S, Tusar MK, Ahmed R, Salam MA. Assessment of remote sensing-based indices for drought monitoring in the north-western region of Bangladesh. Heliyon 2023; 9:e13016. [PMID: 36755601 PMCID: PMC9900510 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e13016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2022] [Revised: 01/12/2023] [Accepted: 01/12/2023] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Drought is a widespread hazard that can tremendously affect the biodiversity, habitat of wild species, and ecosystem functioning and stability, especially in the dry region. Due to its geographic location, the north-western region of Bangladesh has a comparatively arid climate which is very much susceptible to drought occurrence and is marked as a red zone. Despite the growing evidence of the impact of drought on food security and ecosystem functioning, little effort has been paid to mitigate the drought in this region. The present study aimed to assess the drought condition of the north-western region of Bangladesh using earth observation techniques. For this purpose, Landsat data from 1990 to 2020 was used to determine various vegetation indices such as Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Water Index (NDWI), Moisture Index (NDMI) and Soil Adjusted Vegetation Index (SAVI), along with Land Surface Temperature (LST). Results show that the depletion of forests (2832 km2) and water bodies (6773 km2) resulted from the expansion of settlement (6563 km2) and agricultural land (1802 km2) for the period 1990-2020. Examination of the temporal changes of vegetation indices and LST showed that the values of all indices decreased while the LST increased. The negative correlation between NDVI value and LST indicates that the vegetation in our study was subject to drought-induced shocks. This study reveals the current situation of the vegetation health in the north-western region of Bangladesh in relation to the drought conditions. The findings of this study have practical implications for the policymakers in implementing necessary measures for agriculture, forests, water development, and economic zone planning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashim C. Das
- Department of Environmental Science and Disaster Management, Noakhali Science and Technology University, Noakhali, 3814, Bangladesh
| | - Shihab A. Shahriar
- Department of Environmental Science and Disaster Management, Noakhali Science and Technology University, Noakhali, 3814, Bangladesh,Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences University of Houston, TX, 77004, USA
| | - Md A. Chowdhury
- Department of Climate and Disaster Management, Jashore University of Science and Technology, Jashore, 7408, Bangladesh
| | - Md Lokman Hossain
- Department of Environment Protection Technology, German University Bangladesh, Gazipur, Bangladesh,Department of Geography, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, China
| | - Shahed Mahmud
- Department of Environmental Science and Disaster Management, Noakhali Science and Technology University, Noakhali, 3814, Bangladesh
| | - Md Kamruzzaman Tusar
- Department of Environmental Science and Disaster Management, Noakhali Science and Technology University, Noakhali, 3814, Bangladesh
| | - Romel Ahmed
- Department of Forestry and Environmental Science, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Sylhet, 3114, Bangladesh
| | - Mohammed Abdus Salam
- Department of Environmental Science and Disaster Management, Noakhali Science and Technology University, Noakhali, 3814, Bangladesh,Corresponding author.
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Hossain ML, Li J, Hoffmann S, Beierkuhnlein C. Biodiversity showed positive effects on resistance but mixed effects on resilience to climatic extremes in a long-term grassland experiment. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 827:154322. [PMID: 35257775 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.154322] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2021] [Revised: 02/20/2022] [Accepted: 03/02/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Understanding the role of biodiversity in maintaining ecosystem functioning and stability under increasing frequency and magnitude of climatic extremes has fascinated ecologists for decades. Although growing evidence suggests that biodiversity affects ecosystem productivity and buffers ecosystem against climatic extremes, it remains unclear whether the stability of an ecosystem is caused by its resistance against disturbances or resilience towards perturbations or both. In attempting to explore how species richness affects resistance and resilience of above-ground net primary productivity (ANPP) against climatic extremes, we analyzed the grassland ANPP of the long-running (1997-2020) Bayreuth Biodiversity experiment in Germany. We used the Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index to identify climatic conditions based on 5- and 7-class classifications of climatic conditions. Mixed-effects models and post-hoc test show that ANPP varied significantly among different intensities (e.g. moderate or extreme) and directions (e.g. dry or wet) of climatic conditions, with the highest ANPP in extreme wet and the lowest in extreme dry conditions. Resistance and resilience of ANPP to climatic extremes in different intensities were examined by linear-mixed effects models and we found that species richness increased ecosystem resistance against all dry and wet climatic extremes, but decreased ecosystem resilience towards all dry climatic extremes. Species richness had no effects on ecosystem resilience towards wet climatic extremes. When the five level of species richness treatment (i.e., 1, 2, 4, 8, and 16 species) were considered, the relationships between species richness and resistance and resilience of ANPP under extreme wet and dry conditions remained similar. Our study emphasizes that plant communities with greater species richness need to be maintained to stabilize ecosystem productivity and increase resistance against different climatic extremes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Md Lokman Hossain
- Department of Geography, Hong Kong Baptist University, Baptist University Road, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong, China; Department of Biogeography, University of Bayreuth, Universitätsstr. 30, 95447 Bayreuth, Germany; Department of Environment Protection Technology, German University Bangladesh, 1702 Gazipur, Bangladesh
| | - Jianfeng Li
- Department of Geography, Hong Kong Baptist University, Baptist University Road, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong, China.
| | - Samuel Hoffmann
- Department of Biogeography, University of Bayreuth, Universitätsstr. 30, 95447 Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Carl Beierkuhnlein
- Department of Biogeography, University of Bayreuth, Universitätsstr. 30, 95447 Bayreuth, Germany; BayCEER, Bayreuth Center for Ecology and Environmental Research, Universitätsstr. 30, 95447 Bayreuth, Germany
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Hossain ML, Li J. NDVI-based vegetation dynamics and its resistance and resilience to different intensities of climatic events. Glob Ecol Conserv 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2021.e01768] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
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Hossain ML, Kabir MH, Nila MUS, Rubaiyat A. Response of grassland net primary productivity to dry and wet climatic events in four grassland types in Inner Mongolia. PLANT-ENVIRONMENT INTERACTIONS (HOBOKEN, N.J.) 2021; 2:250-262. [PMID: 37284512 PMCID: PMC10168099 DOI: 10.1002/pei3.10064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2021] [Revised: 09/11/2021] [Accepted: 09/27/2021] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Increasing frequency and intensity of climate extremes have profound impacts on grassland biodiversity functioning and stability. Using Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) net primary productivity (NPP) data and standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index, we assessed the response of NPP to growing-season and annual climate extremes and time-lag of climatic conditions across four grassland types (meadow steppe, typical steppe, steppe desert, and desert steppe) in Inner Mongolia, China from the period 2000 to 2019. Results showed that annual NPP varied significantly across four grassland types, with the highest NPP in meadow steppe and the lowest in desert steppe. Annual NPP of all grassland types increased over the past 20 years, but NPP in meadow steppe and typical steppe decreased for the period 2012-2019. Irrespective of grassland type, the 1- and 2-month time-lag of climatic conditions showed significant effects on annual NPP. Growing-season climate was found the better predictor of annual NPP in all grassland types than the annual climate. Compared with growing-season normal climates, annual NPP was lowest in extreme dry events in all grasslands, while highest in extreme wet events in meadow steppe and typical steppe, and in moderate wet events in steppe desert and desert steppe. Typical steppe and steppe desert are highly vulnerable to the increasing intensity of climate extremes, as we found that the losses of NPP in these grasslands in extreme dry were almost double than that of moderate dry events. Surprisingly, for meadow steppe and desert steppe, the losses of NPP for both moderate and extreme dry events were almost the same, which highlights that a low-intensity drought may have profound impacts on the annual NPP of these grasslands. The study provides the key insight in scientific basis to improve our understanding of the effects of climate extremes on grassland NPP, which is critical to sustainable management of grassland and maintain ecosystem stability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Md Lokman Hossain
- Department of Environment Protection TechnologyGerman University BangladeshGazipurBangladesh
- Department of GeographyHong Kong Baptist UniversityHong Kong
| | - Md Humayain Kabir
- Institute of Forestry and Environmental SciencesUniversity of ChittagongChittagongBangladesh
- Wegener Center for Climate and Global ChangeUniversity of GrazGrazAustria
| | - Mst Umme Salma Nila
- CEN Centre for Earth System Research and SustainabilityInstitute of GeographyUniversity of HamburgHamburgGermany
| | - Ashik Rubaiyat
- Burckhardt Institute, Tropical Silviculture and Forest Ecology, Faculty of Forest Sciences and Forest EcologyUniversity of GöttingenGöttingenGermany
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