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Population and Environment
Published in:

01-06-2015 | Research Brief

Can glacial retreat lead to migration? A critical discussion of the impact of glacier shrinkage upon population mobility in the Bolivian Andes

Author: Kaenzig Raoul

Published in: Population and Environment | Issue 4/2015

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Abstract

This article examines the role of glacial retreat on human migration in the Bolivian Andes—a topic with virtually no scholarly focus, yet of critical importance in the era of global climate change. Glacial melting has increased since the 1980s, and popular reports often suggest there will be significant impacts on local populations, including migration. Based on interviews with local residents, both migrants and nonmigrants, as well as topical experts, this study suggests that residents do, indeed, have serious concerns about future livelihood conditions in the Bolivian Andes. Even so, glacial retreat has not triggered new migration flows and has had a limited impact on the existing migratory patterns.
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Footnotes
1
In its original version: “El deshielo empuja la emigración en una comunidad indígena de Bolivia”. (translation by the author).
 
2
Earthjustice (USA) and Agua Sustentable (Bolivia).
 
3
There are also complex interactions with the wetlands (bofedales) situated at a higher altitude (Hoffmann, 2008; Squeo, et al., 2006), but these hydrological interactions are beyond the scope of this paper.
 
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Metadata
Title
Can glacial retreat lead to migration? A critical discussion of the impact of glacier shrinkage upon population mobility in the Bolivian Andes
Author
Kaenzig Raoul
Publication date
01-06-2015
Publisher
Springer Netherlands
Published in
Population and Environment / Issue 4/2015
Print ISSN: 0199-0039
Electronic ISSN: 1573-7810
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11111-014-0226-z

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