Incorporating localized perceptions of climatic impacts to livelihoods and traditions is critical to shaping effective adaptive climate change and disaster risk reduction strategies in the Greater Caucasus Mountains of Georgia. This study uses a phenomenological research framework to investigate the lived experience of climate and the associated impacts of its change in Upper Svaneti. In addition, a vulnerability assessment examines the social and environmental aspects of disasters, including localized perceptions. Results are drawn from eight months of field research conducted from 2012-2013. Multiple in-depth qualitative methods were implemented to generate rich descriptive data, giving way to the roles that environmental changes, disasters, and glacial recession play across six villages. Semi-structured interviews, key informant interviews, informal conversations, observations, participation, and six vulnerability assessments were undertaken. A thematic analysis of respondents narratives yielded themes of helplessness, fear, and perceived benefits. The resulting vulnerability assessment explores the social, economic, and political aspects that are constraining local capacities to prevent, mitigate, and recover from natural disasters.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:MONTANA/oai:etd.lib.umt.edu:etd-06182014-140604 |
| Date | 26 June 2014 |
| Creators | Bordokoff, Peter Alexandrovich |
| Contributors | Sarah J. Halvorson, Ulrich Kamp, Joel Iverson, Ia Iashvili |
| Publisher | The University of Montana |
| Source Sets | University of Montana Missoula |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | http://etd.lib.umt.edu/theses/available/etd-06182014-140604/ |
| Rights | unrestricted, I hereby certify that, if appropriate, I have obtained and attached hereto a written permission statement from the owner(s) of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my thesis, dissertation, or project report, allowing distribution as specified below. I certify that the version I submitted is the same as that approved by my advisory committee. I hereby grant to University of Montana or its agents the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible, under the conditions specified below, my thesis, dissertation, or project report in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. I retain all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis, dissertation or project report. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis, dissertation, or project report. |
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