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ASSESSING the CLIMATE CHANGE-MIGRATION NEXUS THROUGH the LENS of MIGRANTS: the Case of the Republic of Mauritius

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ASSESSING the CLIMATE CHANGE-MIGRATION NEXUS THROUGH the LENS of MIGRANTS: the Case of the Republic of Mauritius This project is funded This project is implemented by the by the European Union International Organization for Migration ANOTHER MANAM? The forced migration of the population of Manam Island, Papua New Guinea, due to volcanic eruptions 2004–2005 eruptions volcanic due to Guinea, New of Manam Island, Papua of the population migration MANAM? The forced ANOTHER ASSESSING THE CLIMATE CHANGE-MIGRATION NEXUS THROUGH THE LENS OF MIGRANTS: 17 route des Morillons, P.O. Box 17 1211 Geneva 19, Switzerland The Case of the Republic of Mauritius Tel.: +41 22 717 9111 • Fax: +41 22 798 6150 E-mail: [email protected] • Website: www.iom.int This publication has been produced with the financial assistance of the European Union and of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Development Fund. The contents of this publication are the sole responsibility of the author and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the European Union or IOM. The designations employed and the presentation of material throughout the report do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of IOM concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area, or of its authorities, or concerning its frontiers or boundaries. IOM is committed to the principle that humane and orderly migration benefits migrants and society. As an intergovernmental organization, IOM acts with its partners in the international community to: assist in meeting the operational challenges of migration; advance understanding of migration issues; encourage social and economic development through migration; and uphold the human dignity and well-being of migrants. Migration, Environment and Climate Change: Evidence for Policy (MECLEP) is a three-year project funded by the European Union, implemented by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) through a consortium with six research partners. The project aims to contribute to the global knowledge base on the relationship between migration and environmental change, including climate change. The innovative research aims to formulate policy options on how migration can benefit adaptation strategies to environmental and climate change. The six project countries are the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Kenya, Mauritius, Papua New Guinea and Viet Nam. Publisher: International Organization for Migration 17 route des Morillons P.O. Box 17 1211 Geneva 19 Switzerland Tel.: +41 22 717 9111 Fax: +41 22 798 6150 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.iom.int Cover photo: Rodrigues. Riad Sultan © 2016. _______________________________________________ © 2017 International Organization for Migration (IOM) _______________________________________________ All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior written permission of the publisher. 29_17 This project is funded by the European Union, with the financial assistance of the IOM Development Fund. This project is implemented by the International Organization for Migration. ASSESSING THE CLIMATE CHANGE-MIGRATION NEXUS THROUGH THE LENS OF MIGRANTS: The Case of the Republic of Mauritius Prepared for IOM by Riad Sultan, Empretec Mauritius Contents List of tables ........................................................................................................ iv List of figures ....................................................................................................... vi Acknowledgements ............................................................................................ vii Acronyms ............................................................................................................ ix Executive summary .............................................................................................. xi 1. Introduction .....................................................................................................1 2. Migration and climate change in the Republic of Mauritius: Brief review of evidence ..............................................................5 3. Defining migration and migrants ..................................................................... 13 4. Methodology ................................................................................................. 17 5. Climate change–migration nexus: Findings from the survey and qualitative interviews .............................................................................. 23 6. Discussion: towards an action plan on migration as adaptation to environmental and climate change ....................................... 63 7. Conclusion ...................................................................................................... 69 References .......................................................................................................... 71 Appendix ............................................................................................................ 77 – ASSESSING THE CLIMATE CHANGE iii MIGRATION NEXUS THROUGH THE LENS OF MIGRANTS: The Case of the Republic of Mauritius List of tables Table 2.1: Geographical distribution of population .....................................................................6 Table 2.2: Socioeconomic profile of the Republic of Mauritius ...................................................6 Table 2.3: Migration in the Republic of Mauritius based on census data (within and across islands).......................................................................................... 8 Table 2.4: Internal migration flows in the Republic of Mauritius ................................................9 Table 4.1 : Population of the selected sites and percentage of internal migrants .....................19 Table 5.1: Number of migrant households in the sample .........................................................23 Table 5.2: Type of migration based on survey data ...................................................................24 Table 5.3: International migrants .............................................................................................. 26 Table 5.4: Profiles of households .............................................................................................. 26 Table 5.5: Profiles of households ta the three survey sites .......................................................27 Table 5.6: Households affected by environmental and climatic events during the last 10 years (%) ......................................................................................28 Table 5.7: Households affected by environmental and climatic events in Port Louis over the last 10 years (%) .....................................................................29 Table 5.8: Households affected by environmental and climatic events in Bambous/Flic-en-Flac/Tamarin over the last 10 years (%) .......................................30 Table 5.9: Households affected by environmental and climatic events in Rodrigues over the last 10 years (%) .....................................................................30 Table 5.10: Single environmental and climatic event affecting livelihoods (%) ...........................31 Table 5.11: Single environmental and climatic event affecting livelihoods at the regional level (%) ............................................................................................ 32 Table 5.12: Environmental and climatic events by year of occurrence .......................................32 Table 5.13: Average household incomes .....................................................................................34 Table 5.14: Households’ sources of income (%) ..........................................................................35 Table 5.15: Sources of income in Rodrigues (%) .........................................................................35 Table 5.16: Sources of income in Bambous/Flic-en-Flac/Tamarin (%) ........................................36 Table 5.17: Sources of income in Port Louis (%)..........................................................................36 Table 5.18: Alternative sources of income (%) ............................................................................37 Table 5.19: Impact of migration on revenue-generating opportunities (%) ................................37 Table 5.20: Impact of migration on revenue-generating opportunities in Port Louis (%) ...........37 Table 5.21: Impact of migration on revenue-generating opportunities in Bambous/Flic-en-Flac/Tamarin (%) .......................................................................37 Table 5.22 : Impact of migration on revenue-generating opportunities in Rodrigues (%) ...........38 Table 5.23: Overall financial situation of households (%) ...........................................................38 Table 5.24: Overall financial situation of households in Port Louis (%) .......................................39 Table 5.25: Overall financial situation of households in Bambous/Flic-en-Flac/Tamarin (%) .....39 Table 5.26: Overall financial situation of households in Rodrigues (%) .......................................39 Table 5.27: Home and land ownership (%) .................................................................................40 Table 5.28: Regional differences in home and land ownership of migrant households (%) ........40 Table 5.29: Regional differences in home and land ownership of non-migrant households (%) ................................................................................41
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