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...
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| Format: | Policy Research Working Paper |
| Language: | English |
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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 |
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okr-10986-370532022-03-03T05:10:48Z Rohingya Refugee Camps and Forest Loss in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh : An Inquiry Using Remote Sensing and Econometric Approaches Dampha, Nfamara K Salemi, Colette Polasky, Stephen 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. 2022-03-02T18:45:15Z 2022-03-02T18:45:15Z 2022-02-28 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 English CC BY 3.0 IGO http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/igo World Bank Washington, DC: World Bank Policy Research Working Paper Publications & Research South Asia South Asia Bangladesh |
| repository_type |
Digital Repository |
| institution_category |
Foreign Institution |
| institution |
Digital Repositories |
| building |
World Bank Open Knowledge Repository |
| collection |
World Bank |
| language |
English |
| geographic_facet |
South Asia South Asia Bangladesh |
| description |
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. |
| format |
Policy Research Working Paper |
| author |
Dampha, Nfamara K Salemi, Colette Polasky, Stephen |
| spellingShingle |
Dampha, Nfamara K Salemi, Colette Polasky, Stephen Rohingya Refugee Camps and Forest Loss in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh : An Inquiry Using Remote Sensing and Econometric Approaches |
| author_facet |
Dampha, Nfamara K Salemi, Colette Polasky, Stephen |
| author_sort |
Dampha, Nfamara K |
| title |
Rohingya Refugee Camps and Forest Loss in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh : An Inquiry Using Remote Sensing and Econometric Approaches |
| title_short |
Rohingya Refugee Camps and Forest Loss in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh : An Inquiry Using Remote Sensing and Econometric Approaches |
| title_full |
Rohingya Refugee Camps and Forest Loss in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh : An Inquiry Using Remote Sensing and Econometric Approaches |
| title_fullStr |
Rohingya Refugee Camps and Forest Loss in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh : An Inquiry Using Remote Sensing and Econometric Approaches |
| title_full_unstemmed |
Rohingya Refugee Camps and Forest Loss in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh : An Inquiry Using Remote Sensing and Econometric Approaches |
| title_sort |
rohingya refugee camps and forest loss in cox’s bazar, bangladesh : an inquiry using remote sensing and econometric approaches |
| publisher |
Washington, DC: World Bank |
| publishDate |
2022 |
| url |
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 |
| _version_ |
1764486514016780288 |