Migration And Natural Resources Flashcards
Why do men usually migrate first?
- cultural expectations
- access to more sectors of the labour market
- childcare is feminised = women are less mobile
- there are socio-cultural restrictions on independent female movement
What are implications of migration on stayees?
- women secluded from labour market and daily labour hired
- or feminisation of the local economy eg construction sites in Yemen
- large concentrations of migrant men = high levels of alcohol and drug abuse, intense militia presence = often increased risk of gender based violence and STIs
What is the link between forced migration and the environment?
Environmental degradation = forced migration
Forced migration = environmental degradation?
An example of refugees being seen as “exceptional resource degraders”
In Sudan, the government is demanding compensation for degraded land; refugees are seen to be associated with deforestation, lend degradation and pressure on water resources
What often hinders environmental refugees from being granted asylum?
- fleeing from environmental causes is not currently a legal reason to be accepted as a refugee
- the idea that refugees are exceptional resource degraders
What reasons does kibreab (1997) give to argue that refugees being resource degraders is a misconception?
1) refugees are usually no worse at sustainably living than the local population
2) refugees are often forced to be unsustainable by external factors outside of their control, such as restrictive land use
Why is it dangerous to make generalisations about refugees causing environmental degradation?
Governments will be less likely to accept them
Sometimes refugees do have a negative impact, especially in large groups, but this is usually because the area which they have been restricted to is unsuitable
What 5 issues does kibreab (1997) cover?
Inadequate land The myth of uncertain futures The myth of new land use methods Bare concentric circles Soil erosion
What is the issue with inadequate land?
- refugee camps are assumed as temporary
- if length of stay increases or population grows, land can no longer meet demands
- eg not enough land to do rotational cropping, so forced to constantly farm the same piece of land
Does having uncertain futures give refugees less of an incentive to sustainably manage land?
No, it usually means refugees will use resources as prudently as possible
If they don’t, they could be putting their family at risk
When refugees move to a new environment, are their traditional land use methods no longer applicable and therefore unsustainable?
No: in the majority of cases refugees don’t move far enough for such a dramatic change to occur
So why don’t refugees sustainably manage land?
Because they lack the space and/or equipment to do so
= it is the institutional conditions imposed by the government that causes the land to be used unsustainably
How are bare concentric circles a misconception?
The circles around refugee camps where all resources have been used up are also often seen around local villages
= not a refugee specific problem
How is soil erosion a misconception ?
It is not a good measure of refugee degradation as it is affected by so many factors, such as rainfall and topography
What does kibreab (1997) conclude about refugee degradation?
It is caused by war and ineffective government policy, not refugees
War = forces large no of people to small area of land
Government = lack of land restricts sustainable practices
