Linking Climate Change, Migration Patterns and Vulnerability: The case of Ndem, Senegal
(2019) VBRM15 20191Division of Risk Management and Societal Safety
- Abstract
- Projections estimate that by 2050 hundreds of millions to a billion people will migrate elsewhere due to environmental reasons. The increasing frequency and intensity of natural hazards posed by climate change, as well as the slow-onset degradation of habitats all over the planet, will drive more and more species to migrate towards more habitable and safe environments. While much of the literature in this matter focuses on “push and pull” frameworks disregarding the complexity of reality, more efforts are needed to go beyond unilateral investigations of migration drivers and embrace a holistic approach capable of conducting a multifaceted and overarching analysis of this subject. This thesis aim is the one of exploring the complex nexus... (More)
- Projections estimate that by 2050 hundreds of millions to a billion people will migrate elsewhere due to environmental reasons. The increasing frequency and intensity of natural hazards posed by climate change, as well as the slow-onset degradation of habitats all over the planet, will drive more and more species to migrate towards more habitable and safe environments. While much of the literature in this matter focuses on “push and pull” frameworks disregarding the complexity of reality, more efforts are needed to go beyond unilateral investigations of migration drivers and embrace a holistic approach capable of conducting a multifaceted and overarching analysis of this subject. This thesis aim is the one of exploring the complex nexus characterizing climate change and human mobility, through a contextual vulnerability approach adopted in the study of Ndem, a rural village in the Diourbel region of Senegal. During the fieldwork, a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods was applied in the investigation of community resilience, climate perception and vulnerabilities in the village. Results show that, although a rural exodus severely affected the region due to droughts in the 1970s and 1980s, and climatic conditions exacerbated over the past 50 years, Ndem today represents a point of convergence for migratory patterns all over Senegal. This was possible thanks to the interplay of environmental, economic, social, religious and cultural reasons, which, today, brought Ndem to be an example of successful, community-based autonomous adaptation to climate change. (Less)
- Popular Abstract
- Over the past few decades major attention has been devoted to the theme of human mobility triggered by climate change. This study decided to focus on Ndem, a small village in rural Senegal, to understand the extent to which mobility patterns are being altered by environmental changes in the region. Surveys and interviews took place over the fieldwork, in order to investigate the villagers’ perception of climate and the existing migration patterns in the village. This data was subsequently triangulated with key literature, in order to identify relevant discussion points and current research gaps. Even though the initial hypothesis implied that the high level of vulnerability and climatic instability of the region resulted in major out-flow... (More)
- Over the past few decades major attention has been devoted to the theme of human mobility triggered by climate change. This study decided to focus on Ndem, a small village in rural Senegal, to understand the extent to which mobility patterns are being altered by environmental changes in the region. Surveys and interviews took place over the fieldwork, in order to investigate the villagers’ perception of climate and the existing migration patterns in the village. This data was subsequently triangulated with key literature, in order to identify relevant discussion points and current research gaps. Even though the initial hypothesis implied that the high level of vulnerability and climatic instability of the region resulted in major out-flow migration movements, the results of the research unveiled a completely different scenario. As a matter of fact, the strong sense of community, coupled with the important role played by spirituality and religion, enhanced the resilience of the village and considerably diminished the vulnerability to unstable climatic conditions. The set of coping strategies implemented by the community was also able to boost the economic capacity of the people, and to ultimately grant them a choice decision-making process related to migration. The conclusion of the study highlights the success of this village in its autonomous adaptation to climate change, as well as the importance of religion as a major component of mobility rather than the environmental stress. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/8995448
- author
- Margaglio, Giordano LU and Chesnier, Anna LU
- supervisor
- organization
- course
- VBRM15 20191
- year
- 2019
- type
- H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
- subject
- keywords
- Climate Change, Internal Migration, Vulnerability, Sahel, Culture, Desertification, Drought, Ndem, West Africa
- language
- English
- id
- 8995448
- date added to LUP
- 2019-10-02 13:01:45
- date last changed
- 2019-10-02 13:01:45
@misc{8995448,
abstract = {{Projections estimate that by 2050 hundreds of millions to a billion people will migrate elsewhere due to environmental reasons. The increasing frequency and intensity of natural hazards posed by climate change, as well as the slow-onset degradation of habitats all over the planet, will drive more and more species to migrate towards more habitable and safe environments. While much of the literature in this matter focuses on “push and pull” frameworks disregarding the complexity of reality, more efforts are needed to go beyond unilateral investigations of migration drivers and embrace a holistic approach capable of conducting a multifaceted and overarching analysis of this subject. This thesis aim is the one of exploring the complex nexus characterizing climate change and human mobility, through a contextual vulnerability approach adopted in the study of Ndem, a rural village in the Diourbel region of Senegal. During the fieldwork, a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods was applied in the investigation of community resilience, climate perception and vulnerabilities in the village. Results show that, although a rural exodus severely affected the region due to droughts in the 1970s and 1980s, and climatic conditions exacerbated over the past 50 years, Ndem today represents a point of convergence for migratory patterns all over Senegal. This was possible thanks to the interplay of environmental, economic, social, religious and cultural reasons, which, today, brought Ndem to be an example of successful, community-based autonomous adaptation to climate change.}},
author = {{Margaglio, Giordano and Chesnier, Anna}},
language = {{eng}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{Linking Climate Change, Migration Patterns and Vulnerability: The case of Ndem, Senegal}},
year = {{2019}},
}