Not the Usual Suspects: Environmental Impacts of Migration in Ghana’s Forest-Savanna Transition Zone

van der Geest, Kees, Burger, Kees, Yelfaanibe, Augustine and Dietz, Ton, "Not the Usual Suspects: Environmental Impacts of Migration in Ghana’s Forest-Savanna Transition Zone" in Land Restoration: Reclaiming Landscapes for a Sustainable Future ed. Chabay, Ilan, Frick, Martin and Helgeson, Jennifer (n/a: Elsevier, 2015), 463-481.

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  • Author van der Geest, Kees
    Burger, Kees
    Yelfaanibe, Augustine
    Dietz, Ton
    Book Editor Chabay, Ilan
    Frick, Martin
    Helgeson, Jennifer
    Chapter Title Not the Usual Suspects: Environmental Impacts of Migration in Ghana’s Forest-Savanna Transition Zone
    Book Title Land Restoration: Reclaiming Landscapes for a Sustainable Future
    Publication Date 2015-11-27
    Place of Publication n/a
    Publisher Elsevier
    Start page 463
    End page 481
    Language eng
    Abstract LANDSAT images published by the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) reveal large-scale land degradation in Ghana’s forest-savanna transition zone, most of which has allegedly occurred in a prime settlement area for migrant farmers from Northwest Ghana—the “usual suspects.” Several studies attribute environmental degradation in this region to the unsustainable farm practices of immigrants, most of whom belong to the Dagaba ethnic group. This section uses several lines of evidence at different scale levels to challenge these studies. First, UNEP’s LANDSAT images overstate the extent of the degradation. Second, most land degradation took place before the arrival of migrants from northwest Ghana. Third, previous studies blaming migrants for land degradation neglect key drivers of land cover change in the region. And fourth, primary data show that migrants’ farm practices are different, but not more degrading than those of native farmers.
    UNBIS Thesaurus MIGRATION
    GHANA
    ENVIRONMENT
    Copyright Holder Elsevier
    Copyright Year 2016
    Copyright type All rights reserved
    ISBN 978012801231
    DOI 10.1016/B978-0-12-801231-4.00030-6
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