Connecting Global Priorities Biodiversity and Human Health

a number of livelihood opportunities for a more
prosperous present and sustainable future.
Together, the case studies in this section
demonstrate the ways in which well-managed
ecosystems are able to prevent or mitigate the
impacts of natural disasters, contributing to DRR
by building resilience to diminish the effects of
exposure, or fostering resistance to avert an event
altogether. They also show that – through the
rehabilitation and conservation of ecosystems and
a concomitant enhancement of biodiversity – EbAs
afford a range of environmental and socioeconomic
benefits, which address multiple drivers of
vulnerability, as well as improve the ability of
communities to avoid, withstand and recover from
the impacts of disaster (ProAct 2008). Finally, EbA
measures have been seen to provide a dynamic,
adaptable and innovative disaster management
response, which is vital in a world of emerging and
continually evolving disaster risks (van Slobbe et
al. 2013).
internally displaced persons and
refugees
Disaster events – whether driven by anthropogenic
or natural factors, or a combination of both – are
a major cause of population displacement, either
within or across national borders. In 2011, some
² The 1951 Refugee Convention defines a refugee as
someone who “owing to a well-founded fear of being
persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality,
membership of a particular social group or political opinion,
is outside the country of his nationality” (UNHCR 2014).
Notably, this definition excludes environmental drivers of
population displacement and refugees may also be forced
to migrate due to natural disasters although, in many cases,
environmental disruptions result in internal migration
rather than relocation to another country (Hyndman
2009). Unlike refugees, internally displaced persons
(IDPs) have not crossed an international border and
remain within their home countries, retaining the rights
and protection afforded by citizenship under both human
rights and international humanitarian law. The taxonomic
distinction of these groups serves to mask a number of
shared characteristics, as well as concealing considerable
internal heterogeneity in terms of backgrounds and
experiences. As such, the term “displaced populations” is
used here to denote both refugees and IDPs (Oucho 2007).
14.9 million people became internally displaced
due to natural disasters, the majority of them
across Asia (UNHCR 2014). Current predictions
regarding climate change as well as recurrent civil
conflicts and cases of political unrest will likely
lead to further displacements in the future, forcing
people into marginal lands, and urban and periurban
settlements.
This section describes the complexity of the
relationship between displaced populations and
biodiversity, which can be seen as simultaneously
symbiotic and destructive. An exploration of the
dependence of refugees and IDPs on ecosystem
goods and services – during a crisis, in its
immediate aftermath and during the longer-term
post-disaster phase – is followed by an examination
of the impacts that humanitarian operations can
have in terms of the overexploitation and rapid
degradation of natural resources, exposing an
ironic situation in which those resources upon
which communities may be most reliant are the
ones being degraded or destroyed.
Although displaced populations are sometimes
blamed for causing environmental degradation
in the areas where they are forced to settle, it
is extremely difficult to distinguish refugee/
IDP impacts from other processes of ecosystem
decline. As such, the contribution of these groups
to biodiversity loss is sometimes overstated, while
the important role they can play in ecosystem
conservation and restoration can be understated
or overlooked.
3.1 Refugees/IDPs rely on biodiversity/
ecosystem goods and services
The survival and longer-term well-being of refugees
and IDPs – in addition to host communities living
within the vicinity of camps – is often dependent
on particular natural resources, and the availability
and accessibility of certain ecosystem goods and
services. In the short term, these may provide
immediate assistance for displaced populations
at the onset of a crisis, during the event and in
its direct aftermath. Supporting the realization
of basic needs, for example, building materials
for rudimentary shelters are typically sourced
246 Connecting Global Priorities: Biodiversity and Human Health