Sensitivity: understanding vulnerability in the context of armed conflict

Building on the preceding Chapter 5, which focused on exposure, the current chapter investigates the manifestations of sensitivity to conflict and its environmental consequences in North Lebanon. Chapter 6 identifies features and manifestations of vulnerability that are particularly relevant to the coastal area of north Lebanon. It examines the spatial variation in vulnerability to armed conflict by means of the ‘hazard-of-place’ model by Cutter (1996). It is argued that the spatial variation of the effects of armed conflict on the natural environment and people’s livelihoods is affected not only by exposure to the environmental damage caused by episodes of armed conflict but also by the sensitivity and coping capacity of the communities in the coastal area of north Lebanon