| Description |
Forced migration is a movement in which an element of coercion exists, including threats to life and livelihood, whether arising from natural or man-made causes (e.g. movements of refugees and internally displaced persons). The changes of natural and man-made environment will probably be the most significant factors among the causes of forced migration. It is essential to get accurate information about the current and future triggers of forced migration in each country of origin and within Europe itself. The two year long project's general objectives are to support European policies, research and the civil society with'forced migration' scenarios, and cooperate with other migration and environment degradation related projects and institutions. The objectives will be achieved by five interlinked research sequences: 1) forecasting the natural and anthropogenic causes of forced migration; 2) analyzing direct (e.g. desertification) and indirect (e.g. conflicts) environmental effects on livelihoods; 3) predicting potential forced migration flows, with emphasis on environmental refugees; 4) contributing to the preparation of statistical indicators to measure environmental refugee flows; 5) dissemination. The study of the causes is a multidisciplinary and multisectoral process. The list of methodological tools contains all traditional elements of research from primary data collection via statistical analysis and environmental evaluation to modelling. The studied cases are selected from the following regions: Europe and Russia, NIS and Central Asia, Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa and Ghana, Middle East and Northern Africa, Latin America. The project will produce detailed sub-region or country level forced migration scenarios, including environmental refugees; presentation of causes leading to forced migration, with focus on environmental concerns; and an online running "environment degradation caused forced migration" model for demonstration and policy purposes.
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