Assessing the socioeconomic impact of sea level rise on coastal communities

Abstract

This study assesses the expected impacts of sea level rise on one of the coastal communities of Trinidad, Grande Riviere. As one of the Small Island Developing States (SIDS), Trinidad is vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and sea level rise. Tourism operations, which are the centre of many of the economic activities in the community, may be affected most by the projected sea level rise. Findings support the need to develop adaptation strategies to minimize impacts of sea level rise on coastal resources of the area in terms of social disruption, economic costs and environmental impacts.