Bangladesh is bounded by India in the west, north and east, Myanmar in the south-east, and the Bay of Bengal in the south. Most of the country is low-lying land comprising mainly the floodplain delta of the three major rivers, the Ganges, the Brahmaputra and the Meghna, which originate outside Bangladesh and meet inside Bangladesh before discharging to the Bay of Bengal through a single outfall. Floodplains occupy 80% of the country. Bangladesh has a tropical monsoon climate. In general, the climate is characterized by high temperature, heavy rainfall, often excessive humidity during monsoon and marked inter and intra seasonal variation [8] . There are three distinct seasons in Bangladesh: a hot, humid summer from March to June; a cool, rainy monsoon season from June to October; and a cool, dry winter from October to March. In general, maximum summer temperatures range between 30˚C and 40˚C. April is the warmest month in most parts of the country. January is the coldest month, when the average temperature for most of the country is about 10˚C and most parts of the country receive at least 2000 mm of rainfall per year. About 80 percent of Bangladesh’s rain falls during the monsoon season [9] .

The humidity remains high all year and reaches between 90% - 95% from June to September. Tropical cyclones emerge from the Bay of Bengal with high winds and tidal waves on the average of one major cyclone every 3 years. There are two cyclone seasons, one just before the monsoon (May to June) and one just after the monsoon (October to November). During the monsoon season in a normal year, about 30% of the country is under water. Some years, however, floods cover 70% of the country [10] .

The varied ecological features of Bangladesh make up 30 agro-ecological zones with a high diversity index of genetic resources. There are three broad regions considered as the physiography of the country, they are: the floodplain area, the Pleistocene terrace and the hilly regions in the Northeast and Southeast [3] . Considering the complex scenarios of all climatic conditions the whole country can be classified into seven climatic sub-regions in total (as shown in “Figure 1”).

The coastal zones of Bangladesh comprise the largest delta of the world. The coastal zones of Bangladesh consist of 19 districts comprising 147 upazilas [12] . The coastal zone contains the world’s largest single chunk of mangrove forests; the Sundarbans. We can primarily divide the coast of the country into six zones (as shown in “Figure 2”):

1) Sundarbans coastal zone,

2) Barguna-Patuakhali coastal zone,

3) Bhola coastal zone,

4) Noakhali-Feni coastal zone,

5) Chittagong coastal zone and,

6) Cox’s Bazar coastal zone.

The coast of Bangladesh is known as a zone of vulnerabilities as well as opportunities. It is prone to natural disasters like cyclone, storm surge and flood. The combination of natural and man-made hazards, such as erosion, high arsenic

content in ground water, water logging, earthquake, water and soil salinity, various forms of pollution, risks from climate change, etc., have adversely affected lives and livelihoods in the coastal zone and slowed down the pace of social and economic developments in this region [14] .

The Coastal Zone Policy considers three indicators for determining the landward boundaries of the coastal zone of Bangladesh, which are: influence of tidal waters, salinity intrusion and cyclones/storm surges [23] .

The coastal zones Bangladesh experiences different types of Natural Disasters almost every year because of the Global Warming as well as Climate Change impacts, these are:

Although whole Bangladesh has been facing the adverse impacts of climate change, the people of coastal area are struggling more than any other parts of the country. Tropical cyclones, tidal floods and salinity intrusion are most common adverse impacts of climate change especially in the coastal areas of Bangladesh.

In recent years, Bangladesh was attacked by two severe devastating consecutive cyclones named Sidr and Aila. Cyclonic storm with Hurricane wind “SIDR” hit in Bangladesh on 15th November 2007. Maximum wind speed in kph was 223 and Surge height in meter was 6.02 m and total deaths were 3363. Cyclonic Storm “AILA” hit in Bangladesh on 25th May 2009. Maximum wind speed in kphwas 92 and Surge height in meter was 2.5 m and total deaths were 190 [27] . Cyclone Sidr affected nine districts of Bangladesh. The most devastated districts were Bagerghat, Barguna, Patuakhali, and Pirojpur [28] .

In cyclone “Aila” Satkhira and Khulna districts of Bangladesh suffered the heaviest damage along with Bagerhat, Pirojpur, Barisal, Patuakhali, Bhola, Lakshmipur, Noakhali, Feni, Chittagong, and Cox’s Bazar [29] .

Some other mentionable cyclones hit in Bangladesh in recent years are as follows:

・ Cyclone Akash: A cyclone storm named “Akash” hit the southern shore of Bangladesh on 14 May, 2007. As a result of the storm, three people were killed, four people were injured, and one person went missing. According to the media, 50 fishermen are still missing. A total of 1751 families were affected forced to take shelter in schools and highland areas. The number of houses that were fully destroyed was 205 and the number partially damaged was 845. Crops and shrimp cultivation were destroyed in some of the affected areas [30] .

・ Cyclone Rashmi: Cyclone Rashmi made landfall on the Bangladesh coast late on October 26 with wind speeds up to 85 km/hour, 15 people were killed and thousands of homes were also damaged [11] .

・ Cyclone Bijli: Cyclone Bijli attacked in Bangladesh on April 19, 2009. At least six people were killed as Cyclone Bijli struck overnight, said a food and disaster management ministry official on Saturday. At least 50 people were injured in the cyclone when trees and walls of their houses collapsed on them. Among the injured, at least 20 women and children were taken to hospitals in Cox’s Bazar. Over 600 houses and about 650 hectares of cropland were damaged by the tropical storm that made landfall overnight on the southeastern coast [31] .

・ Cyclone Komen: Cyclone Komen made landfall on 30 July 2015, weakening as it moved slightly towards the northeast. Cox’s Bazar, Chittagong, Bandarban, Noakhali, Feni and Bhola districts were significantly affected. At least seven people (including two children) were reported to have lost their lives and 38 people were reported missing. The Government district level “D-form” data immediately after the disaster indicated many houses were flattened or under water, trees uprooted, and power supplies and communication systems disrupted in some places. Crops were damaged and shrimp projects flooded. Due to the impact of the cyclonic storm, heavy to very heavy rainfall triggered in southern Bangladesh widespread flooding. Consequently, the lives and livelihoods of the people of those areas were further worsened [32] .

・ Cyclone Roanu: Cyclone Roanu hit in Bangladesh on May 21, 2016. At least 24 people were killed and more than 139,000 families have been affected by the devastation wrought by Cyclone Roanu. Some 700,000 people have been affected as the tidal surge along with heavy rainfall damaged or destroyed around 80,000 homes and had major impacts on the livelihoods of local people by submerging rice fields and standing crops [33] .

・ Cyclone Mora: Severe Cyclonic Storm Mora made landfall in Bangladesh on May 30, 2017. According to the National Health Crisis Management Centre and Control Room of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), reports the casualties to have at 6 lives lost, 136 injured, and Government report figured around 200,000 people displaced. Government sources have estimated that approximately 52,000 houses were damaged or destroyed, leaving 260,000 people in possible need of shelter. Cox’s Bazaar district was particularly heavily hit, with approximately 17,000 residences damaged [34] .

The perception of risk is a social process. The social perception of risk guides the vulnerable people to imply different indigenous knowledge as coping strategies. Vulnerable people live under stress, confront difficulties and make decisions that are perceived to reduce and control risks. Risks are perceived in terms of cause and effect. People survive environmental disasters through their attempt to cope and adapt. Local responses are accustomed and mediated by their respective perceptions of risk situations. So it is important to capture the local peoples’ understanding of risks as well as the options available to them. The procedure of decision making depends on the perception of risks which vary from area to area, and community to community [3] .

Indigenous knowledge represents the experience gained over thousands of years of direct contact with their environment. Local people have developed enormous knowledge of their local environments over the centuries by directly interacting with and experiencing the environment³. Coping responses are derived from the perception of risk and it is based on local or indigenous knowledge.

The application of indigenous knowledge in the situation of natural hazards/disasters or other threats is regarded as “coping strategy”. These strategies vary from community to community and depend on individual priority [3] .

Coping strategies are related to resource and assets. The ability to generate coping therefore depends on the livelihood resources that local people have access or control over. Livelihood is the means of living and the ability to pursue different livelihood is dependent on tangible and intangible assets⁴. Here the linkage is essential to have a clear understanding of indigenous livelihood conditions which is related to coping strategies.

Adaptation is about coping and dealing with the consequences of climate change. Adaptation to climate change is an opportunity for social reform. Adaptation is an activity classified as adaptation related if it intends to reduce the vulnerability of human and natural systems regarding the impacts of climate change and climate related risks, by maintaining or increasing adaptive capacity [37] .

³Indigenous Knowledge System Approach tends to reveal the knowledge which is build up through observation and hand-on-experience by people living in close contact with environment which in turn is transmitted orally from one generation to next [35] .

⁴Generally five categories of assets are identified as contributing to livelihoods, such as: natural, physical, human, financial and social assets [36] .

The present study finds three basic areas where the indigenous coping strategies acts through three aspects of life at the cyclone and storm surges regions of Bangladesh: 1) perception of the disaster and livelihood strategy, 2) indigenous indicators of early warning, and 3) adaptation during and post disaster situation. “Figure 3” explains in detail of these three aspects of indigenous coping strategies in cyclone prone regions of Bangladesh.

Tidal flood is not a new phenomenon to the people of coastal regions of Bangladesh.

But the increasing trend of its frequency due to climate change is creating adverse effects to life of the communities in different districts. Sutradhar, Bala, Islam and Hasan (2015) [38] explores ingenious coping strategies of the communities of tidal flood prone areas as portrayed in “Figure 4”.

As the post-disaster effect of cyclone and tidal flood, salinity intrusion pushes the toughest challenges to the coastal communities of Bangladesh against their survival in long term (“Figure 5” shows a typical scene of cyclone in a part of coastal Bangladesh and “Figure 6” shows the salinity intrusion situation in an affected area). In this regard Shafie, Haldar, Rashid, and Mita (2009) reveals the indigenous coping strategies in salinity prone areas through explaining the activities related to sourcing of food, water resource management and livelihood diversification based on their local perceptions [3] . “Figure 7” depicts the inner mechanism of indigenous coping strategies in salinity intrusion areas of Bangladesh in detail.

The local people believe that their indigenous coping and adaptation strategies are very effective and useful to face the challenges of adverse situations. But all these coping and adaptation strategies are gradually improving with the help of some govt., non-govt. and international organizations. Some recent study found that the community people have been practicing different types of coping, adaptation and mitigation strategies and they acknowledge that these are effective for their survival.

A recent study conducted in a upazila named “Dumki” of Patuakhali district found that the community people are using some strategies such as floating garden, homestead gardening, crop diversification, rearing poultry, raising water pumps and using cyclone shelters to secure their livelihood. By using the method of floating gardens the community people get vital food after disaster they also can sale vegetable to nearest market for ensuring livelihood. Homestead gardening enhanced food and nutritional security, ensure women empowerment and make them resilience against climate change in the study area. Rearing poultry increases women empowerment and they can support their family income. 60% community people in the study area are practicing this strategy. The community is cultivating different crops in their land to cope with climate change. To support food for growing population in this study area, farmer cultivated variety of crops in their fields. Although the people of study area are not fully conscious about raising water pumps and using cyclone centers, their awareness are gradually increasing day by day [41] .

From another study it is found that to ensure/secure their livelihood local people diversified their works. It was found from community survey that after the two devastating cyclone Sidr and Aila about 35% peoples were involved in two occupation (agriculture, fishing), about 25% involved in three occupation (agriculture, fishing, small treading); about 10% involved in four occupation (agriculture labor, non-agricultural wage labor, fishing, motorcycle driving) and some involved in five or more works to earn money or to secure their livelihood [42] .

Recently some govt., non-govt. and international organizations have started to develop the coping and adaptation strategies in the community of the disaster prone areas of Bangladesh. One mentionable example is “The Enhancing Resilience to Natural Disasters and the Effects of Climate Change program” started in 2011 as part of a joint initiative between the Government of Bangladesh and WFP. The package of interventions for participants includes community infrastructure work, training on disaster preparedness, capacity building, business development training and a cash grant to women for investment [43] .