Deforestation as a Site of Conflict and Differentiation: The Case of the Rohingya Refugee Influx in the Teknaf Wildlife Sanctuary

Studies on the impacts on local livelihoods and inter-community conflict of deforestation associated with refugee movements often treat host community groups as monolithic, with no analysis of its disproportionate effects on more vulnerable members resulting from competition over dwindling forest resources. We use the sustainable livelihoods framework and environmental-conflict theories is to illustrate the interconnection of migration, deforestation, and livelihoods through the lens of the Rohingya refugee crisis in Bangladesh with a focus on ethnic and economic marginalisation and intra-community social cohesion. The deforestation of over 3,000 hectares associated with the Rohingya refugee influx has resulted in the loss of various forest-dependent livelihoods such as fuelwood collection, livestock rearing, and agroforestry. We analysed data collected from focus group discussions with forest dependent host community members and key informant interviews with journalists, local politicians, and NGO workers that show the effects of deforestation on the host community have disproportionately impacted ethnically and economically marginalised members, especially in terms of livestock rearing, agroforestry, and food insecurity. Our findings also show that conditions that promote heightened group identity and relative deprivation among host community groups, having long-term influence on intra-community cohesion, are also a result of deforestation.