When Culture Disappears with the Coast: The Rakhine Community of Bangladesh and the Case for Loss and Damage Finance

From the rediscovered “Shonar Nouka” — a centuries-old Rakhine boat unearthed from the sands of Kuakata — to sacred temples and disappearing forests, climate change is threatening the cultural heritage and future of one of Bangladesh’s most vulnerable coastal communities.

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Hundreds of years ago, the Rakhine pundits predicted that Kuakata might go under. Learning that, Misri Talukder, a local Rakhine influential, established the Misripara Bouddho Protikriti - a Buddhist Temple - to make prayers for safeguarding Kuakata from sinking in the sea and ensuring that their religious rules sustain in the community. Since then the Rakhine and their religious leaders have been coming to this Buddhist temple seeking safety. This is what I learned from my visit to Kuakata.

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The pamphlet that shares what the Rakhine pundits predicted hundreds of years ago that Kuaka might go under water. Photo: Nushrat  Chowdhury

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The threat  to Kuakata, a coastal location in Patuakhali, Bangladesh, is not just limited to rising sea-level now - lands are being eroded and redistributed by waves, tidal surges and cyclones. At least 8 cyclones battered Kuakata in the last two decades including the catastrophic ones like Cyclone Sidr, Cyclone Aila, Cyclone Amphan and Cyclone Remal killing hundreds of people and causing extensive financial and environmental losses and damages along Bangladesh's coastline. The Misripara Bouddho Protikriti, one of the largest Buddhist temples in Bangladesh, was damaged during Cyclone Sidr and Cyclone Aila. In 2014, the German government made donations to renovate it.

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The Misripara Buddhist Temple. Photo: Nushrat  Chowdhury

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The Srimangala Buddhist Temple, another Buddhist spiritual site, holds Kuakata's centuries of history. The well (Kua) where Kuakata's name was derived from is also situated in this temple premise. The 200 hundred years old well is a testament of Rakhine's tradition - digging wells to ensure water supply in coastal areas. These sites provide not only the Rakhine's legacy in the area but also a glimpse of Kuakata's historical picture. The donations collected at the sites appear to be insufficient. In addition, regular and planned budgetary allocation can be proven beneficial in the current climate context.

From the similar time a wooden boat (at the beginning of 19th century), believed to be built by the Rakhine, is also preserved in a shaded and semi-open place near the temple. The 72X24X10.6 feet schooner and its belongings represents the coastal Rakhine heritage - the boat is locally called ‘Shonar Nouka’ (shonar translates to goldmade and nouka to boat in English) probably because of its copper made exterior. This boat surfaced from the sea around one and a half decades ago in Kuakata. In 2013, Cyclone Mahasen disrupted its excavation plan - a part of it went under the sea-sand again. Later, it was excavated marking Bangladesh's first ever archaeological discovery along its high and low tide dominated coastline. For many, this boat resembles coastal communities’ resilience - their ability to adapt to and recover from disasters. However, this site of archeological value remains neglected - it could not be confirmed if this relic receives regular maintenance and protection to preserve its value. Usually ancient high-value pieces are best kept indoors.

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The hundred years old Shonar Nauka - kept in a semi-shaded place. Photo: Nushrat  Chowdhury

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Locals claim salinity intrusion or saltwater intrusion, a slow-onset process, to be the primary cause of Lemburbon degradation - a reserved forest in Kuakata now. A story goes that a Rakhine settlement formed in this location in the 18th century - political instability and conflicts forced them to migrate here from Arakan or current Myanmar. Later, they settled down in Patuakhali and nearby Barguna district. The area was believed to be named after a Rakhine girl who used to live here with her family. They gradually lost their household and all other properties to the sea except a tiny proportion of their orchard - now known as Lemburbon.

Historically, these types of climate impact, i.e., loss of territory, cultural heritage, ecosystem services and biodiversity, are less understood and focused compared to rapid disasters, i.e., cyclones, floods related direct financial losses and damages. Often known as non-economic loss and damage (NELD), these indirect disaster costs and their impacts on individuals, communities and their environment remain significantly neglected in climate policies, planning and implementation despite their profound impacts on people and environmental wellbeing.

The gradual loss of land to the land grabbers adds to Rakhine's misery. Rampant land grabbing fears them - once a flourishing distinct community is confined to small pockets in Kuakata now. Even the Srimangala Buddhist Temple land is claimed to have experienced the threat of land encroachment - government bodies are accused.  The absence of urgent, efficient and fair responses by the government are claimed to be unhelpful and sometimes encouraging for the landgrabbers to dispose of the Rakhine's homes and lands. This also prevents the Rakhine benefitting from Kuakata's increasing tourism. Initiatives to support Rakhine-led tourism may strengthen their self-reliance and offer travellers opportunities to explore their practices and cultures that have been nurtured for hundreds of years.

Kuakata also hosts the Rash Purnima- a major Hindu religious festival of Radha-Krishna devotees. This annual religious event draws devotees and tourists from all parts of Bangladesh. The devotees gather, perform Punya-snan - a sacred bathing ritual and engage in spiritual and cultural activities held at Kuakata beach. A 150 year old traditional fair, locally called Rash Mela (mela translates to fair in English), attracts people from different faiths and religions. This collection of various events runs for almost a week boosting Kuakata's local economy including tourism.

A site like Kuakata, impacted by both extreme and slow-onset disasters, needs to be protected - it is not only a site of religious and cultural significance but also a rare location of diverse ecosystems integral to communities' livelihoods. The existing luscious mangrove and evergreen forests are striving to provide for locals,  for example, Rakhine communities' income sources have narrowed down to few occupations like weaving and livestock rearing.  Three-quarters of Kuakata's National Park has vanished in the sea in the last two decades.  Md. Jahidul Islam, a local and a member of the Youthnet Global, said, “ I had my school picnic in the National Park in 2012 and that spot disappeared in the sea already.” He added, “ If we were able to fully protect the park, it would mean safeguarding the natural world that supports our local communities and shields us against cyclones.”

While it is important to invest in coastal embankment repair and construction projects to address the avoidable impacts, measures should also be taken to address residual and irreversible losses experienced by communities like Rakhine, one of the lesser known and vulnerable communities indigenous to Bangladesh, and the environment they live in. The Fund for responding to Loss and Damage (FRLD), formerly Loss and Damage Fund, can be targeted for financial support in this regard. FRLD's first call for funding request will accept submissions till 15 June 2026 - national government endorsed requests are accepted only at this point. It is an opportunity for Bangladesh to make a case for the Rakhine in Kuakata and seek finance from the Fund to support them with recovery, reconstruction and rehabilitation initiatives generated by both extreme and slow onset events. The preservation of Rakhine's historic and religious sites, heritage and ancestral customs can be covered by the FRLD.

However, this approach does not fully unleash FRLD's potential as it fails to allow communities and their organisations directly access grants from it despite having a small grant access modality provisioned in its Governing Instrument. In addition, the gatekeeping role of the state or the government does not ensure sufficient finance going to the deserving communities especially when it has limited capacity or lacks political will to do so.

This needs to change - the Fund must establish a dedicated community direct access modality immediately and allow communities, i.e., Rakhine and their organisations, to design and implement initiatives prioritising their needs across different aspects of their lives including spirituality, culture and heritage. Over 350 national, regional and international organisations called The FRLD Board to establish such a window to ensure resources to address loss and damage reach those who the Fund is supposed to serve.

Even though different types of NELD, such as the ones experienced by the Rakhine, are not directly linked with loss of financial resources or revenue, they are not less important than economic costs and may well be more significant in many developing countries. The Rakhine in Kuakata are struggling to sustain their traditional ways of living. They should have access to adequate financial resources be it from national or international mechanisms to preserve their social and cultural integrity threatened by the changing climate - FRLD can be one of the funding options.