Ecosystem and Vulnerabilities to Fisher’s Community: Tampara Wetland, South Odisha Coast, India

The Nolia Nuagaon (Bada Noliya and Sana Noliya Nuagaon), fisher communities rehabilitated between the newly revived Tampara Lake, Bay of Bengal, and Rushikulya Estuary. The coastal ecosystem and habitation within this sandy beach vegetation in the past are regularly affected by storm surges, coastal erosion, and floods. The fisher group relies on the sea and the estuary for their livelihood. They are politically, and socio-economically deprived.

The present study envisages the societal and economic changes due to the altered ecosystem due to climate changes, Regional Sea Level Rise (RSLR), and human interventions. The basic tools involved are Hazard Vulnerability and Capacity Assessment (HVCA), and Ecosystem Services Shared Value Assessment (ESSVA) using the policies piloted by the International Lake Environment Committee (ILEC) for Eco-DRR, Partners for Resilience (PfR). The Nolia Nuasahi (Bada and Sana) villages were under threat on the coastal front.

The search helped to train the community to understand the pioneer issues and coercions that are surging up with time and the fishing profession, which is now replaced by migration and marginalization adding to their age-old lifestyle. The growth of tourism activities in the nearby Tampara Lake shall bring challenges to the landscape, supporting Ecosystem services and the fishing community’s regime. A joint Action Plan between the Lake and coastal ecosystem is warranted to be developed to maintain a better livelihood for the villagers after acceptance from the Gram Sabha and then included in the Gram Panchayat development plan (GPDP) to boost SDG-14.