Darfur - a Degraded Environment - Case Study Flashcards
Darfur’s geography
- Western region of Sudan, Africa
- Sub-saharan country - northern parts are a desert
- Challenging physical geography
- Climate has changed to become more extreme and less reliable over the years
- Conflict in Sudan has been going on since 2003
- Talk using “internally displaced people” instead of “refugees”
- Genocide with particular ethnic groups being targeted
Darfur’s Conflict
- Tensions over land grazing rights
- Arab nomadic herders (moving livestock around country) vs African farmers growing crops
- Livestock eat crops of farmers
- Farmers struggle as their livelihoods comes from crops and farming
- There is a campaign of ethnic cleansing by Janjaweed militias against Darfur’s black African population.
- Sudanese government based in Khartoum (capital) of oppressing black Africans in favour of Arabs.
- Darfur was mainly viewed as a peripheral region by the government in Khartoum so as a result, the region suffered considerable neglect, with poor transport infrastructure and little investment in health and education.
- This led to considerable feelings of resentment among the people in the region.
Causes of Environmental Degradation in Darfur
1) Climate Change
2) High rate of Population Growth
3) Conflict
Environmental Degradation from Climate Change
- In general, Sudan’s physical geography is challenging to humans
- Region is and, water sources are scarce and populations can only live near sources of water
- Sahara Desert lies in the North
- Much of Darfur is covered with infertile, sandy soil
- Climate change has exacerbated the challenging climate
- There has been a marked drop in rainfall since 1972
- With rainfall down by up to 30% over 40 years and the Sahara advancing by well over a mile every year.
- The desert in northern Sudan has advanced outwards by 60 miles over the past 40 years, (desertification).
- Climate models suggest a rise of 0.5-1.5 degrees celcius between 2030 and 2060.
- Yields in sorghum could drop by 70%.
- More significantly, droughts have become more frequent: 16 of the 20 driest years recorded have occurred since 1972.
Environmental Degradation from Population Growth
- Sudan is at Stage 2/3 of the DTM
- High rate of population growth
- Darfur’s population grew from 1 million to 6 million between 1956 and 2003, leading to overgrazing and over cultivation
- Overcultivation → Soil Exhaustion → Soil erosion and desertisifcation
- Deforestation of land for cultivation and grazing
Environmental Degradation from Conflict
- Firstly, the deliberate destruction of arable, pastoral, forest or water resources has been used as a tool of war
- A good target would be to target food supply
- The unprecedented concentrations of population in Darfur’s IDP camps are causing localised resource depletion
- IDP camps are generally located on the outskirts of market towns, resulting in the destruction of shelter belts, forestry and farmland
- The intense concentration of people leads to:
- -> Camps lead to deforestation due to energy gained from fuel wood and for building materials
- -> Intensive extraction of groundwater and possible a physical water scarcity
- -> Over-cultivation and Overgrazing → Soil loses fertility, loses quality of soil in the area
- Uncontrolled deforestation is taking place, in the context of a breakdown of governance, driven by the role of timber and fuel wood in the war and crisis economy
- Migration routes are blocked, leading to overgrazing in areas where livestock are concentrated
Sudan conflict statistics
- 300 thousand dead
- 2000 bombs
- 3 million displaced
Constraints to managing the environment in Darfur
1) Conflict
2) Economic development
3) Physical geography
Conflict as a constraint to managing the environment in Darfur
Biggest constraint to managing the environment is conflict, because it’s difficult to maintain, protect the area in conflict, and it focuses on people’s priorities rather than management
Economic Development as a constraint to managing the environment in Darfur
- Low level of economic development
- Sudan has HDI of 0.51, the 20th lowest HDI in the world
- Government has no money to implement schemes
- Poor infrastructure - hard to travel around and improve degradation
- Stage 3 of DTM with population growing, putting more pressure on resources
- Deforestation due to use of fuelwood for energy
- High level of corruption??????
Physical Geography as a constraint to managing the environment in Darfur
- Harsh environments
- Arid, remote rural area
- Climate change
- All effects are worsened
- -> Low crop yield
- -> Desertification
Evaluation of constraints to managing the environment in Darfur
- Without conflict, there would be a bigger focus on economic development
- Both conflict and economic development play a major role as a constraint
Attempts to manage Darfur’s environment
1) Fuel efficient stoves
2) Demarcating Paths
3) Greening Darfur
Fuel efficient stoves: Needs
- Unsustained use of firewood degrades the environment
- Conflict over scarce resources intensifies conflict
- Additional social and economic risks from current practice
- Socially sustainable (giving someone an economic livelihood - source of income)
Fuel efficient stoves: Measures
- Largely based on training and education
- Uses materials already available to population
