TY - JOUR
T1 - Population dynamics, delta vulnerability and environmental change
T2 - comparison of the Mekong, Ganges–Brahmaputra and Amazon delta regions
AU - Szabo, Sylvia
AU - Brondizio, Eduardo
AU - Renaud, Fabrice G.
AU - Hetrick, Scott
AU - Nicholls, Robert J.
AU - Matthews, Zoe
AU - Tessler, Zachary
AU - Tejedor, Alejandro
AU - Sebesvari, Zita
AU - Foufoula-Georgiou, Efi
AU - da Costa, Sandra
AU - Dearing, John A.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2016, The Author(s).
PY - 2016/7/1
Y1 - 2016/7/1
N2 - Tropical delta regions are at risk of multiple threats including relative sea level rise and human alterations, making them more and more vulnerable to extreme floods, storms, surges, salinity intrusion, and other hazards which could also increase in magnitude and frequency with a changing climate. Given the environmental vulnerability of tropical deltas, understanding the interlinkages between population dynamics and environmental change in these regions is crucial for ensuring efficient policy planning and progress toward social and ecological sustainability. Here, we provide an overview of population trends and dynamics in the Ganges–Brahmaputra, Mekong and Amazon deltas. Using multiple data sources, including census data and Demographic and Health Surveys, a discussion regarding the components of population change is undertaken in the context of environmental factors affecting the demographic landscape of the three delta regions. We find that the demographic trends in all cases are broadly reflective of national trends, although important differences exist within and across the study areas. Moreover, all three delta regions have been experiencing shifts in population structures resulting in aging populations, the latter being most rapid in the Mekong delta. The environmental impacts on the different components of population change are important, and more extensive research is required to effectively quantify the underlying relationships. The paper concludes by discussing selected policy implications in the context of sustainable development of delta regions and beyond.
AB - Tropical delta regions are at risk of multiple threats including relative sea level rise and human alterations, making them more and more vulnerable to extreme floods, storms, surges, salinity intrusion, and other hazards which could also increase in magnitude and frequency with a changing climate. Given the environmental vulnerability of tropical deltas, understanding the interlinkages between population dynamics and environmental change in these regions is crucial for ensuring efficient policy planning and progress toward social and ecological sustainability. Here, we provide an overview of population trends and dynamics in the Ganges–Brahmaputra, Mekong and Amazon deltas. Using multiple data sources, including census data and Demographic and Health Surveys, a discussion regarding the components of population change is undertaken in the context of environmental factors affecting the demographic landscape of the three delta regions. We find that the demographic trends in all cases are broadly reflective of national trends, although important differences exist within and across the study areas. Moreover, all three delta regions have been experiencing shifts in population structures resulting in aging populations, the latter being most rapid in the Mekong delta. The environmental impacts on the different components of population change are important, and more extensive research is required to effectively quantify the underlying relationships. The paper concludes by discussing selected policy implications in the context of sustainable development of delta regions and beyond.
KW - Amazon delta
KW - Delta vulnerability
KW - Ganges–Brahmaputra delta
KW - Mekong delta
KW - Population change
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U2 - 10.1007/s11625-016-0372-6
DO - 10.1007/s11625-016-0372-6
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84971672862
SN - 1862-4065
VL - 11
SP - 539
EP - 554
JO - Sustainability Science
JF - Sustainability Science
IS - 4
ER -