Human Migration and Ecosystems: Insights from the Great Lakes Region of East and Central Africa

The report examines the relationship between human migration and ecosystem degradation in the Great Lakes Region of Africa, focusing on case studies in Uganda, Ethiopia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. It argues that while migration is not the primary cause of environmental pressure, it acts as an exacerbating factor that increases habitat destruction and unsustainable resource use. The document provides a framework for conservationists to integrate migration trends into land-use planning and natural resource governance.

• In the Lake Albert ecosystem in Uganda's Buliisa District, migration has contributed to overfishing by providing a source of cheap labour that has rapidly increased the number of fishing boats beyond natural population growth rates.
• In Ethiopia's Harenna Buluk district, local political elites actively promoted migration to increase population numbers to regain administrative status as a separate woreda, leading to significant forest conversion for agriculture.
• In the Misotshi–Kabogo ecosystem of the DRC, the return of stability has drawn migrants who employ slash-and-burn agriculture, causing forest loss rates to triple between 2006 and 2011.
• Migration in the Great Lakes region is distinct from global trends because the majority of displaced people settle in rural areas rather than urban centres, which increases the direct impact on biodiversity and ecosystems.
• The perception of natural resources as 'open access'—reinforced by weak governance and the inability of local authorities to enforce regulations—acts as a primary pull factor for migrants in all three case study areas.
• Migration is generally an exacerbating factor rather than the sole driver of ecosystem degradation, speeding up existing processes such as forest conversion in Ethiopia and overfishing in Uganda.

APA

Dazé, A., & Crawford, A. (2016). Human Migration and Ecosystems: Insights from the Great Lakes Region of East and Central Africa. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/human-migration-ecosystems-great-lakes-region-east-central-africa.pdf

Chicago

Dazé, Angie, and Alec Crawford. Human Migration and Ecosystems: Insights from the Great Lakes Region of East and Central Africa. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2016. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/human-migration-ecosystems-great-lakes-region-east-central-africa.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Dazé |first1=Angie |last2=Crawford |first2=Alec |title=Human Migration and Ecosystems: Insights from the Great Lakes Region of East and Central Africa |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=January 2016 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/human-migration-ecosystems-great-lakes-region-east-central-africa.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{daz2016human, author = {Dazé, Angie and Crawford, Alec}, title = {{Human Migration and Ecosystems: Insights from the Great Lakes Region of East and Central Africa}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2016}, month = jan, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/human-migration-ecosystems-great-lakes-region-east-central-africa.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }