International Journal of Development and Sustainability ISSN: 2186-8662 – www.isdsnet.com/ijds Volume 3 Number 12 (2014): Pages 2186-2205 ISDS Article ID: IJDS15010301 Local residents’ perception and adaptation/coping strategies to climate- induced disasters in Bankpama, Wa West District, Ghana Frederick Dayour 1* , Elijah Yendaw 1 , Godfred Seidu Jasaw 2 1 Department of Community Development, University for Development Studies, Post Office Box UPW 3, Wa, Ghana 2 United Nations University, Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability (UNU-IAS), 53-70, Jingumae 5-chome, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-8925, Japan Abstract Various studies have shown that Northern Ghana is one of the most vulnerable regions owing to climate variability. Several studies have also attempted assessing residentsǯ perceptions and coping strategies relative to climate change in the region. However, the majority have had this done quantitatively, which often precludes vital lived experiences and opinions of affected persons. This current study sought to explore how residents of Bankpama (a drought and flood prone community) in the Upper West Region of Ghana perceive climate-related stresses, and how they deal with them. The study was conducted qualitatively on 30 respondents using Focus Group Discussions and in-depth interviews. It was established that drought, floods, storms and weather temperature were increasing in severity and frequency with drought being the most felt. While some residents had some clues about the causes of these disasters including felling of trees, bushfires and the opening of Bagre dam, others perceived them as an act of God or gods. Local residents coped and adapted by planting drought resistant crops, altering cropping calendars, rearing of livestock, going into shea butter processing, charcoal burning, planting of trees to serve as windbreaks, and depending on social networks for help. Keywords: Local Residents, Perceptions, Climate, Disasters, Adaptation/Coping * Corresponding author. E-mail address: fdayour@gmail.com Published by ISDS LLC, Japan | Copyright © 2014 by the Author(s) | This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Cite this article as: Dayour, F., Yendaw, E. and Jasaw, G.S. (2014Ȍ, DzLocal residentsǯ perception and adaptation/coping strategies to climate-induced disasters in Bankpama, Wa West District, Ghanadz, International Journal of Development and Sustainability, Vol. 3 No. 12, pp. 2186-2205.