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What drives environmental (Non-)migration around the Himalayan Region? Evidence from rural Nepal

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  • Bhusal, Prabin
  • Kimengsi, Jude Ndzifon
  • Raj Awasthi, Kavi

Abstract

The impact of climate change and other environmental disasters have shown a strong link with human migration throughout history. While the decision to migrate in the face of such environmental disasters is clear, questions linked to the non-migration aspirations of people in environmental disaster-prone regions account only for a negligible number of studies. This applies also to the Himalayan region, characterized by a dearth of scientific information on the militating forces of (non)migration. To contribute to address this yawning research gap, this paper poses a fundamental question: what (does not) drive environmental non-migration in Nepal? Specifically, the paper seeks to: (i) discuss the trend of (non-) migration in the context of environmental disasters in Nepal, and (ii) explore the drivers of non-migration decisions in upland, landslide prone areas of Nepal. Besides document analysis, the study relies on qualitative data drawn from five focus group discussions with local community members, complemented by ten key informant interviews to further corroborate the information. Further, eight key experts from ministerial departments and academia were interviewed to generate further information to buttress the results. It explores respondents’ knowledge of environmental hazards and what drives their decision to (not) migrate in the face of environmental disasters. Despite exposures to landslides and other linked environmental hazards, we found four key factors that are instrumental in guiding non-migration decisions. First, the intrinsic value placed by the community (linked to their ancestral attachment), including place attachment. Second, social capital (especially social groupings) which drives collective action to manage and overcome the effects of disasters, third, place confidence which guarantees their application of locally adapted survival strategies, and fourth the structural contexts (economical and agricultural values). While this study provides conceptual and empirical information on the much needed subject on environmental non-migration, it makes a succinct request for further quantitative investigations to model the non-migration process and determine clear patterns over the years.

Suggested Citation

  • Bhusal, Prabin & Kimengsi, Jude Ndzifon & Raj Awasthi, Kavi, 2021. "What drives environmental (Non-)migration around the Himalayan Region? Evidence from rural Nepal," World Development Perspectives, Elsevier, vol. 23(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:wodepe:v:23:y:2021:i:c:s2452292921000667
    DOI: 10.1016/j.wdp.2021.100350
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Bishawjit Mallick & Jochen Schanze, 2020. "Trapped or Voluntary? Non-Migration Despite Climate Risks," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(11), pages 1-6, June.
    2. Nathalie Bougnoux & Quentin Wodon & Andrea Liverani & George Joseph, 2014. "Climate Change and Migration : Evidence from the Middle East and North Africa," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 18929.
    3. Bishawjit Mallick, 2019. "The Nexus between Socio-Ecological System, Livelihood Resilience, and Migration Decisions: Empirical Evidence from Bangladesh," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(12), pages 1-17, June.
    4. Hom Nath Gartaula & Pashupati Chaudhary & Kamal Khadka, 2014. "Land Redistribution and Reutilization in the Context of Migration in Rural Nepal," Land, MDPI, vol. 3(3), pages 1-16, June.
    5. Ilan Kelman & Justyna Orlowska & Himani Upadhyay & Robert Stojanov & Christian Webersik & Andrea C. Simonelli & David Procházka & Daniel Němec, 2019. "Does climate change influence people’s migration decisions in Maldives?," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 153(1), pages 285-299, March.
    6. W. Neil Adger & Jon Barnett & Katrina Brown & Nadine Marshall & Karen O'Brien, 2013. "Cultural dimensions of climate change impacts and adaptation," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 3(2), pages 112-117, February.
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    Cited by:

    1. Roland Azibo Balgah & Kester Azibo Ngwa & Gertrud Rosa Buchenrieder & Jude Ndzifon Kimengsi, 2023. "Impacts of Floods on Agriculture-Dependent Livelihoods in Sub-Saharan Africa: An Assessment from Multiple Geo-Ecological Zones," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(2), pages 1-18, January.
    2. Mukherjee, Manisha & Fransen, Sonja, 2024. "Exploring migration decision-making and agricultural adaptation in the context of climate change: A systematic review," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 179(C).
    3. Zhenhua Chao & Zhanhuan Shang & Chengdong Fei & Ziyi Zhuang & Mengting Zhou, 2023. "Spatiotemporal Analysis of Urban Expansion in the Mountainous Hindu Kush Himalayas Region," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-13, February.

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