Rohingya Refugee Camps and Forest Loss in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh : An Inquiry Using Remote Sensing and Econometric Approaches
How do refugee camps impact the natural environment This paper examines the case study of Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, a district that hosts nearly 1 million Rohingya refugees in refugee camps. Using spatially explicit data on land-use / land cover and...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Policy Research Working Paper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Washington, DC: World Bank
2022
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| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/989741646064634353/Rohingya-Refugee-Camps-and-Forest-Loss-in-Cox-s-Bazar-Bangladesh-An-Inquiry-Using-Remote-Sensing-and-Econometric-Approaches http://hdl.handle.net/10986/37053 |
| Summary: | How do refugee camps impact the
natural environment This paper examines the case study of
Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, a district that hosts nearly 1
million Rohingya refugees in refugee camps. Using spatially
explicit data on land-use / land cover and proximity to a
camp boundary, the paper quantifies land-use changes across
the district over time. To evaluate the extent to which the
camps triggered additional forest loss, the analysis
calculates total forest loss in the district and uses a
difference-in-difference model that compares areas 0–5
kilometers from a camp boundary (treatment) to areas 10–15
kilometers away (control). The findings show that the rate
of forest loss intensified near camps relative to the
control area. The analysis reveals that areas experiencing
camp-stimulated reductions in forest cover are also
experiencing faster settlement expansion relative to the
control area. Settlement expansion is largely concentrated
in areas outside protected areas. This enhanced settlement
expansion still occurs when pixels 0–1 kilometer from the
camps are omitted, which is evidence that the results are
not due to camp settlements expanding beyond the official
camp borders. The results suggest that camps stimulate
in-migration as Bangladeshis seek new economic opportunities
and improved access to resources. |
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