Turning now to the impact of housing and land tenure on
household vulnerability, the results suggest that levels of vulnerability
in Caroni and Nariva were similar but based on very different
economic and structural determinants. For one, the material used
for building houses in the two communities varied in relation to
underlying ecological dynamics. On the alluvial plains of the Caroni
River, for instance, close proximity to clay brick factories facilitated
the construction of stronger homes that were less vulnerable to
damage caused by windstorms and other climatic events. By virtue
of their relative isolation, Nariva households were more dependent
on timber from local forests