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Refugees and Environment: Linkages Between Migrants' Background Characteristics and Tree-Cutting in Uganda’s Refugee Settlements and Host Communities

Abel Nzabona, Centre For Basic Research, Kampala

The Great Lakes Region of Eastern Africa presents a mixed picture of source and destination of refugees. For example Uganda currently hosts just over 1.5 million refugees originating mainly from Southern Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Despite the large refugee numbers, little is known about the nexus between forced migration and the country’s local environment. As a way of bridging the knowledge gap, this study analysed the level and predictors of tree-cutting in selected refugee settlements and host communities. Analysis used secondary data collected in a 2020 survey in which a total of 849 heads of households were interviewed from four settlements. Analysis of association between demographic, socio-economic and housing characteristics of the refugees and tree-cutting (the dependent variable) was conducted. A binary logistic regression model was fitted to determine the predictors of tree-cutting in refugee settlements and host communities. Findings indicate that country of birth, nature of economic activity, type of cooking technology and housing characteristics predicted tree-cutting. The findings have several implications including reducing construction of shelters that are highly dependent on wood (such as huts) as well as departure from the open-3-stone stove to more fuel-efficient cooking technologies.

Keywords: Refugees, Environmental studies, International migration, Migrant populations

See paper.

  Presented in Session 148. Refugees, Policies and Public Opinion