The United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR, has pledged to plant more than 9 million trees in areas of human displacement this year, enlisting both refugees and host communities to meet this goal. By distributing seedlings of various species in denuded areas, UNHCR hopes to plant more than 2.6 million trees in and around refugee camps in Tanzania, 1.7 million in Sudan, and 1.8 million in Ethiopia. There were an estimated 8.4 million refugees worldwide in 2006, according to UNHCR, while the ranks of internally displaced persons (IDPs)—those who do not cross an international border—are estimated at between 20 and 24 million [Some NGOs in the field say UNHCR’s numbers are extremely conservative – ed.]. Although some refugees and IDPs end up in urban settings, the large majority find themselves in marginal regions of poor countries, where they have little choice but to cut and collect wood for shelters, lighting, cooking, and to make room for cultivating crops. The result can be serious deforestation and soil erosion that hurts both refugees and host communities, especially if large numbers of people arrive suddenly or are unable to return home for extended periods of time. In the aftermath of the 1994 genocide, some… (more)
(Posted by WorldChanging Team in Refugees and Relief at 11:16 AM)