Linkages between environmental change and migration can be reciprocal: declining environmental conditions can trigger people to leave a place, while the movement of people to certain places can have implications for the natural environment and may enhance conflict risks. Although a growing body of research has enriched our knowledge on these two main directions of influence, including the role of conflict, research on dynamic linkages between environmental out-migration and degradation through in-migration is virtually lacking. To fill this gap, we have developed a conceptual framework and have outlined specific pathways of environmental change, migration, immobility, and resource use conflicts. We focus on reciprocal linkages to understand the mechanisms through which environmental change contributes to out-migration and how in-migration, in turn, may contribute to changes in the environment and resource use conflicts. The framework and corresponding pathways are based on our empirical research on resource-dependent rural communities in Ethiopia, which we have embedded in a broader Global South perspective. We identified the following four specific pathways of change: first, environmental change increases migration needs, primarily through declining agricultural production and food insecurity, with financial means and migration experiences being key factors enabling migration. Second, environmental change increases migration needs but hampers migration abilities through care responsibilities and lack of financial resources. This lack inhibits migration and leads to involuntary immobility. Third, migration to rural areas triggers land use change and deforestation through livelihood transitions and adopted land management in receiving areas. Forth, blaming migrants for perceived resource degradation contributes to resource disputes and violence between migrants and the local population. We conclude with future directions for identifying and understanding reciprocal environment-migration linkages and priorities for research.

The post What we know and do not know about reciprocal pathways of environmental change and migration: lessons from Ethiopia first appeared on Ecology & Society.

环境变化与移民之间的联系可能是相互的：环境条件恶化可能会促使人们离开某个地方，而人们向某些地方的流动可能会对自然环境产生影响，并可能增加冲突风险。尽管越来越多的研究丰富了我们对这两个主要影响方向（包括冲突的作用）的认识，但对环境外移与内移引起的退化之间动态联系的研究实际上很缺乏。为了填补这一空白，我们制定了一个概念框架，并概述了环境变化、移民、流动性和资源利用冲突的具体途径。我们专注于相互联系，以了解环境变化导致人口外迁的机制，以及人口内迁反过来又如何促进人口外迁。可能会导致环境变化和资源利用冲突。该框架和相应的路径基于我们对埃塞俄比亚资源依赖型农村社区的实证研究，并将其纳入更广泛的全球南方视角。我们确定了以下四种具体的变革路径：首先，环境变化增加了移民需求，主要是通过农业产量下降和粮食不安全，而金融手段和移民经验是促成移民的关键因素。其次，环境变化增加了移民需求，但由于照顾责任和缺乏财政资源而阻碍了移民能力。这种缺乏会抑制迁移并导致非自愿的不动。第三，向农村地区的移民通过生计转变和接收地区采用的土地管理引发了土地用途的变化和森林砍伐。第四，将资源退化归咎于移民会加剧移民与当地居民之间的资源争端和暴力。最后，我们提出了识别和理解相互环境-移民联系和研究优先事项的未来方向。

《关于环境变化和移民的相互途径我们所知道和不知道的事情：埃塞俄比亚的经验教训》一文首次出现在《生态与社会》上。