Environment and the Darfur Crisis

Horn of Africa Regional Environmental Network6 December 2006

Dr Muawia Shaddad – Sudanese Environmental Conservation SocietyBrendan Bromwich – Tearfund

secs1975@yahoo.comdmt-northsudan-env@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

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10-year moving average

Total annual RainFall (1917-2005 (mm/yr)) for Elfasher

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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.