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The document examines how migration, particularly in the Harenna Buluk district, accelerates deforestation and biodiversity loss in Ethiopia's Harenna Forest. It identifies political pull factors and the introduction of profit-oriented crop farming as key drivers of ecosystem degradation. The brief recommends regulating informal land markets, strengthening species protection, leveraging water conservation narratives, and developing sustainable livelihoods like tourism to protect the ecosystem.

The report examines how migration into the Harenna Forest in southeast Ethiopia accelerates deforestation and biodiversity loss. By comparing Harenna Buluk, which saw significant migration driven by local political elites, with Delo Mena, which had minimal migration, the study finds that migrants introduce intensive farming practices that are adopted by locals, leading to the conversion of forest glades into agricultural land. The report recommends regulating informal land markets, strengthening participatory forest management bylaws, and developing alternative livelihoods like tourism to protect the ecosystem's unique biodiversity and hydrological functions.