Impacts of Outmigration on Land Management in a Nepali Mountain Area
Gudrun Schwilch, Karen Sudmeier-Rieux, Stéphanie Jaquet & Raoul Kaenzig
| Résumé |
This study examines the impacts of migration on land management in a
mountain area of Nepal, complemented by insights from a smaller case
study in Bolivia. Migration to cities and abroad increasingly leaves
behind fragmented families and the elderly. Livelihoods as well as
the management of land are affected by a changing labor force,
traditional knowledge, remittances, and other consequences of
migration. In this study, we explore how these issues affect land
and its management, and what measures and strategies are being
taken by the people left behind. Mapping methodology from the World
Overview of Conservation Approaches and Technologies (WOCAT) was
used to assess land management practices in a subwatershed in
Western Nepal. In combination with other research methods, the
mapping enabled a better understanding of the impacts of migration
on land degradation and conservation. Preliminary findings reveal
negative as well as positive impacts. The main degradation problem
found was the growth of invasive alien plant species, while overall
vegetation and forest cover had increased, and some types of
degradation, such as soil erosion or landslides, were even reduced.
A feminization of agriculture has also been observed in the Nepali
case study, in contrast to the Bolivian case which revealed that
whole families were migrating, with mostly men temporarily
returning to manage the land. The findings of this study suggest
that a more differentiated and context-specific view is required
when looking at the impact of migration on land management. |
| Mots-clés |
Sustainable land management Migration Impact Land degradation Nepal - Mountain |
| Citation | Schwilch, G., Sudmeier-Rieux, K., Jaquet, S., & Kaenzig, R. (2016). Impacts of Outmigration on Land Management in a Nepali Mountain Area. In Identifying Emerging Issues in Disaster Risk Reduction, Migration, Climate Change and Sustainable Development. (pp. 177-194). Netherland: Springer. |
| Type | Chapitre de livre (Anglais) |
| Année | 2016 |
| Titre du livre | Identifying Emerging Issues in Disaster Risk Reduction, Migration, Climate Change and Sustainable Development |
| Editeur commercial | Springer (Netherland) |
| Pages | 177-194 |
| URL | http://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-319-33880-4 |
| Liée au projet | CliMig |