The Impact of Displaced People’s Temporary Shelters on their Surrounding Environment

Abstract

This book presents an overview of environmental issues and impacts associated with temporary shelters for displaced people along the Thai-Myanmar border, and offers recommendations to improve the environmental conditions in and around the settlements. Out of nine such temporary shelters, three were selected for detailed study: Ban Tham Hin (Ratchburi province), Ban Mai Nai Soi (Mae Hong Son province) and Ban Mae La (Tak province). In each of these shelters a variety of research methods was used to assess the environmental conditions, analyse ways of living and use of resources by displaced persons, and disclose their perceptions of the environmental conditions they face. Efforts were also made to assess the environmental impacts produced by the presence of the shelters on the surrounding areas, including listening to officials and representatives from these areas in focus group meetings and through interviews. This book provides practical and realistic recommendations for policy options to reach a durable solution for refugees at the borders. Practitioners and policymakers from governments, international organizations and international NGOs will benefit from the findings and recommendations proposed in this book. The volume is also helpful for those who study forced migration and its denouement in the age of globalization.