MIGRATION AND CONSERVATION

The Migration and Conservation Toolkit, developed by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), offers a four-phase roadmap for practitioners to integrate migration dynamics into conservation planning. The process moves from defining scope and analyzing migration and conservation contexts to assessing ecosystem impacts and implementing targeted interventions. The toolkit emphasizes participatory research, including surveys, focus group discussions, and participatory mapping, to understand the links between migration, livelihood choices, and biodiversity loss. It highlights the need for conflict-sensitive and gender-aware approaches, particularly in critical ecosystems where population pressures can exacerbate existing environmental stresses.

• The toolkit establishes a four-phase analytical process: Phase 1 (Getting Started) focuses on scope and planning; Phase 2 (Analyzing the Context) examines migration and conservation backgrounds; Phase 3 (Assessing the Impacts) analyzes links between migration, livelihoods, and ecosystems; and Phase 4 (Responding to the Impacts) identifies and implements migration-sensitive interventions.
• Migration-sensitive conservation interventions are defined as those that prioritize stresses caused or exacerbated by migration, recognize migrants as a distinct stakeholder group, and promote inclusive governance and resource management systems.
• The toolkit utilizes an analytical framework that tracks the causal links from migration drivers (push and pull factors) to changes in livelihood and natural resource use, which then result in ecosystem and biodiversity impacts.
• In the Bale Mountains ecosystem of Ethiopia, migration driven by political incentives and climate stress in areas of origin led to agricultural expansion and a significant reduction in forest cover in the Harenna Forest.
• In the Lake Albert ecosystem in Uganda, migration from the Democratic Republic of Congo driven by economic opportunities in the fishery has led to overfishing and a dramatic change in fish species composition.
• In the Misotshi-Kabogo ecosystem in the DRC, the return of stability attracted displaced persons and farmers, leading to the clearing of forests for farmland and threatening the habitat of approximately 1,500 chimpanzees.
• Gender dynamics significantly influence migration; women may migrate to escape violence or seek economic independence, and their resettlement experiences are often shaped by the gender norms of the host community.
• The toolkit advocates for conflict-sensitive conservation to ensure that interventions do not trigger or exacerbate tensions between migrant and host communities.
• Participatory mapping and GIS mapping are recommended as complementary tools; while GIS provides canopy-level data on land-cover change, participatory mapping captures community-level perceptions of resource use and vulnerability.

APA

Crawford, A., & Dazé, A. (2016). MIGRATION AND CONSERVATION. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/migration-conservation-toolkit.pdf

Chicago

Crawford, Alec, and Angie Dazé. MIGRATION AND CONSERVATION. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2016. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/migration-conservation-toolkit.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Crawford |first1=Alec |last2=Dazé |first2=Angie |title=MIGRATION AND CONSERVATION |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=2016 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/migration-conservation-toolkit.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{crawford2016migration, author = {Crawford, Alec and Dazé, Angie}, title = {{MIGRATION AND CONSERVATION}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2016}, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/migration-conservation-toolkit.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }