Environmental impacts of Rohingya peoples forced migration
editOverview
editin 2017 and onwards the Burmese military engaged in a violent military operation within Rakhine state targeting the Muslim minority Rohingya. These military operations are known as the Rohingya genocide. This military operation was an area clearing operation targeted at the Muslim Rohingya minority.[1] Due to acts of killing, rape, and arson during the military campaign, 740,000 - 947,000 Rohingya Muslims were displaced and fled to Bangladesh.[1][2] Many of the displaced Rohingyas fled to Cox's Bazar in Bangladesh. This area is considered climate vulnerable and at risk to weather events such as extreme rainfall, landslides, flash floods and tropical cyclones.[3] Armed conflicts within Myanmar are a significant threat to the environment and contribute to the declining forest cover which is estimated at 0.87% per year.[1] The majority of forest loss within Myanmar is on the periphery of armed conflicts or can be directly attributed to conflict.[1]
Rakhine State
editThe military operation in Rakhine state resulted in significant environmental and ecosystem damage within the state. More than 90% of villages were partially or entirely destroyed by fire.[1] This was due to the prevalence of arson and burning employed by the Burmese military. Rakhine state experienced significant loss in forest cover and loss of cultivated wetlands.[1] the extent of the damage was extreme as before the conflict, forest cover was prevalent within the state of Rakhine.[1] After the military operation, all forms of environmental land cover types such as cultivated wetlands were decimated.[1]
Bangladesh: Cox's Bazar
editThe migration of Rohingya Muslims into Bangladesh has resulted in widespread environmental degradation. To facilitate the need for living spaces for refugees, stairs and terraces were cut into the existing landscapes.[4] To supply the demand for settlements for the Rohingya refugees, cut 3713 acres of forest from the Ukhia, Whykong, and Teknaf forest ranges along the Myanmar-Bangladesh border to build temporary housing.[4] The threat of deforestation continues to occur in this region to supply the fire necessary for cooking with local peoples cutting forest resources to sell to the refugee settlers.[4][5] The need for fuel for cooking has been a significant driver of forest cover loss within the region.[4][5] These forest use issues result in the degradation of critical habitats threatening the regions wildlife.[5] One such example of this is the Kutupalong camp's expansion. This expansion encroached onto the endangered Asian elephant's migration route.[6]
The Kutupalong Rohingya refugee camp in Bangladesh was found to be the largest refugee camp in 2018, utilizing 1328 acres of forest land.[4] These makeshift camps are subject to environmental risks such as landslides and flash floods.[4] These conditions, paired with unpaved and slippery roads, pose risks for elderly, young, and Rohingyan women.[4] Waste within these refugee camps is also an issue. Monthly over 100 tons of disposable waste is collected.[4]
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- ^ a b c d e f g h Aung, Thiri Shwesin (2021-08-10). "Satellite analysis of the environmental impacts of armed-conflict in Rakhine, Myanmar". Science of The Total Environment. 781: 146758. doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.146758. ISSN 0048-9697.
- ^ S M Labib; Nazia Hossain; Shahadath Hossain Patwary (2018). "Environmental Cost of Refugee Crisis: Case Study of Kutupalong Balukhali Rohingya Camp Site A Remote Sensing Approach". doi:10.13140/RG.2.2.14086.22085.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ Ahmed, Saleh; Simmons, William Paul; Chowdhury, Rashed; Huq, Saleemul (2021-07-01). "The sustainability–peace nexus in crisis contexts: how the Rohingya escaped the ethnic violence in Myanmar, but are trapped into environmental challenges in Bangladesh". Sustainability Science. 16 (4): 1201–1213. doi:10.1007/s11625-021-00955-6. ISSN 1862-4057. PMC 8053562. PMID 33897904.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: PMC format (link) - ^ a b c d e f g h Hammer, Leonard; Ahmed, Saleh (2020-12-01). "Environmental responsibility and Rohingya refugees: potential grounds for justice". Local Environment. 25 (11–12): 1021–1031. doi:10.1080/13549839.2020.1849078. ISSN 1354-9839.
- ^ a b c Rashid, Kazi Jihadur; Hoque, Md. Atikul; Esha, Tasnia Aysha; Rahman, Md. Atiqur; Paul, Alak (2021-03-01). "Spatiotemporal changes of vegetation and land surface temperature in the refugee camps and its surrounding areas of Bangladesh after the Rohingya influx from Myanmar". Environment, Development and Sustainability. 23 (3): 3562–3577. doi:10.1007/s10668-020-00733-x. ISSN 1573-2975.
- ^ Mukul, Sharif A.; Huq, Saleemul; Herbohn, John; Nishat, Ainun; Rahman, A Atiq; Amin, Raquibul; Ahmed, Farid Uddin (2019-04-12). Sills, Jennifer (ed.). "Rohingya refugees and the environment". Science. 364 (6436): 138–138. doi:10.1126/science.aaw9474. ISSN 0036-8075.