Land Use, Migration, and Natural Resource Deterioration: The Experience of Guatemala and the Sudan

Abstract

There has been little research directly linking migration to environmental degradation. Guatemala has had a population growth rate of 3%/year for the past 2 decades. The level of rural to urban migration has been heavy because of insurgency and wide rural to urban income gaps and land inequalities although it still remains low for a Latin American country which usually have high percentages of urban populations. Using past population trends population projections were used in an effort to predict the environmental effect of population growth and migration. Current land distribution indicates that rapid fragmentation of land is occurring through inheritance. Guatemala is suffering from many of the same problems as other 3rd world countries: soil erosion deforestation sedimentation of water sheds and urban pollution. A variety of policy interventions are needed including family planning services land redistribution and price and technology policies that stimulate agricultural production and raise rural family incomes and labor absorption. Other policies that deal directly with deforestation and soil erosion e.g. farmer education programs and stricter enforcement of existing legislation banning unauthorized tree cutting are needed. Decertification in the Sudan is being caused by patterns of migration and population growth. Sudans population is mostly rural and settled with 11% being nomadic and 20% being urbanized. The Sudan suffers from many of the same problems as other African countries. There has been a general decline in agricultural production per capita over the last 15 years despite large increases in agricultural land use. Growing numbers of people animals and crops have placed stress on rangelands. New Water resource development has concentrated nomadic patterns in certain areas causing rapid land degradation. Deforestation has grown because of increased need for wood and charcoal. Along with deforestation decertification is increasing because land is left bare from overuse. While the causes of environmental deterioration are not yet well understood population growth is an obvious factor that if controlled would reduce the stress on the environment.