environment and the darfur crisis
DESCRIPTION
Environment and the Darfur Crisis. Horn of Africa Regional Environmental Network 6 December 2006 Dr Muawia Shaddad – Sudanese Environmental Conservation Society Brendan Bromwich – Tearfund [email protected] [email protected]. Presentation Outline. Rationale - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Environment and the Darfur Crisis
Horn of Africa Regional Environmental Network6 December 2006
Dr Muawia Shaddad – Sudanese Environmental Conservation SocietyBrendan Bromwich – Tearfund
[email protected]@tearfund.org
Presentation Outline
Rationale Environmental resources are at the heart of Darfurian life Darfur has a particularly vulnerable natural environment Climate change and increased population are causes of
significant environmental degradation in Darfur Environmental Degradation is a driver in migration and conflict
in Darfur
Response A framework of Sustainable Resource Management in relief Recovery Development and Adaptation priorities for peace Robust environmental management to withstand future crises
Civil society and Universities must develop key roles in Informing the relief community and building peace Mainstreaming adaptation in the recovery process Rebuilding environmental governance in the context of a
breakdown of trust
What does the environment mean to Darfur?
• shelter
• fuel
• land tenure
• wealth
• coping strategies
• livelihoods
• cultural identity
Darfur has a particularly vulnerable natural environment and it is deteriorating as a result
of climate change
It has low and declining rainfall As a marginal environment it has a high degree of variability
– rainfall has the biggest impact on vegetation in semi arid areas, and this it is rainfall that is variable
Rain falls in only 4 months of the year, and the geology is not favourable for groundwater storage
Current variability is today’s face of ongoing climate change
''We never used to go or stay in neighbouring Cameroon or deep in the southern Sudan, because diseases and insects kill our animals
within ten days, now it is very easy to go there and stay'‘
A Camel herder in Darfur
Low and variable rainfall
El Fasher annual rainfall 1917-2005
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010
An
nu
al R
ain
fall,
mm
El Fasher
10-year moving average
Total annual RainFall (1917-2005 (mm/yr)) for Elfasher
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
1917 1923 1929 1935 1941 1947 1953 1959 1965 1971 1977 1983 1989 1995 2001
Years
Tot
al a
nnul
rai
nfal
l (m
m/y
r)
A geographical context of variability and unpredictability
Variation in annual maximum vegetation - NDVI
Unfavourable geology for groundwater little storage except for alluvial deposits and a few favourable outcrops but mostly basement complex
The Sahel faces very significant impact from climate change – and has little capacity for adaptation
The historical context
Increasing population and decreasing resource base has caused local conflict for many years.
It has been accompanied by conflict, migration and changes in livelihoods, sometimes triggered by climatic crisis – e.g. mid 1980’s
Population densities: 1973: 4 people per km2
1983: 10 people per km2
2003: 18 people per km2
Intensified demand and depletion of yields and carrying capacities
Over the same period, the native administration has been weakened
Environmental degradation and conflict
The erosion of clay and gardud soils and the depletion of productive lands in the greater region of Darfur and particularly in northern Darfur as a result of a relentless desertification process over the past several decades, compelled a forced ecological migration and mass population movement southward in search of better conditions for pasture and farming.
The ability of local people to adapt to the new realities and the subsequent questions of land use and resource sharing continued to threaten peaceful coexistence in the area and the social cohesion of the entire community. The situation was destined to incite local tensions and provoke violent resource-based conflicts.
Ecological imbalance, scarcity of water, deforestation, mismanagement of natural resources, claimed inequality in the distribution of available resources and national projects, and the lack of cooperation have contributed significantly to the present conflict.
University for Peace (UPEACE) in collaboration with the Peace Research Institute University of Khartuom 15-16 December 2004
Impacts of the current conflict
Annual destruction of crops – destroying livelihoods Destruction of villages and assets Destruction of trees on farmland – undermining established
land tenure Large scale firing of open land Blocked migration routes – leading to localised
overgrazing Loss of traditional management mechanisms Major deforestation in the context of lawlessness
Large scale firing of land near Masterei
Impacts of displacement
Massive concentrations of demand for natural resources Relief programme with new levels of technology and standards
of supply A boom in construction demanding more raw materials Unmet needs for livelihoods for the displaced SGBV on a very wide scale
“no fuel-saving or improved cooking technologies introduced in Darfur will have a strong impact on the number of women collecting
firewood outside the camps or the frequency of collection unless such interventions are accompanied by alternative income
generation activities.” Women’s Commission March 2006
Water shortages in North Darfur
Implications for recovery
Prime farmland and shelter belts are currently being lost as IDP camps are located around market towns
Reconstruction requires 30-40 trees per family: 2M displaced need 16M trees.
And the longer term
The triggers for violence in the chronic resource based conflict in Darfur have been significantly exacerbated by the current crisis
Climate change will continue to increase the natural variability of the region, and shorten growing periods. These will cause an increase in the frequency of failed harvests.
Terbeba – rebuilding will need thousands of trees
What is the appropriate response?
Ongoing relief work needs to be done within the context of sustainable resource management.
A major effort in recovery, development and adaptation when security allows.
Robust environmental management is needed for the peaceful coexistence of the two traditional competing subsistence livelihood systems; for the additional demands brought on by the new larger urban population; and to withstand the increasing climatic variability.
Sustainable Resource Management in relief
Using environmental assets in a way that doesn’t compromise the future availability of these assets
Ensuring that what is used is within the amount that is being replaced over the same period.
This amounts to a do-no-harm approach to environment in the relief context
Some examples of SRM in relief
Livelihoods to restore forestry not deplete it Wood lots, cash for work, incenitivised forestry
Reduce impact of projects – REA’s & CEMPs Compensation forestry = cut a tree – fund the
replacement of a tree Groundwater monitoring
Target vulnerable camps Must be accompanied by good interpretation and
management Improving resource management is practical
adaptation
Three priorities – why the network is needed…
Darfurian civil society and Universities to have greater role in relief planning – these institutions: Have a wealth of appropriate knowledge. Will be around to build the peace when the UN and INGOs have
gone. Would benefit from capacity building whilst the relief phase is in
progress. Alternative construction and energy technologies must be
mainstreamed before recovery. (This is more adaptation work) A well connected civil society and academic community have a major contribution to play in this.
Environmental management and environmental governance need to be rebuilt in Darfur, despite the context of a massive breakdown of trust. So civil society has a key role again.