Environmental Migration in Bolivia? : Perceived effects of climate variability on internal migration to the area of Sacaba

Abstract: There has been an on-going discussion between researchers regarding the economic and climate induced reasons for migration (Renaud et al. 2011, Afifi, 2011).  There also seems to be insufficient data when it comes to internal migration within low-income countries (Tacolí, 2009). This study focuses on the impact of climate change and climate variability on migration processes to the area of Cochabamba, Bolivia. Two communities were chosen as study areas: Lopez Rancho and Alto Paraíso, both located in the growing city of Sacaba in the department of Cochabamba. In total 13 semi-structured interviews were made, including three key-informants and ten migrants, of which nine were female and one was male. The results show that while perceived environmental changes had an impact on the decision to migrate for six out of the ten respondents, other factors, such as education, infrastructure, health services, economy and decisions based on the family as a whole, were also important. Future studies on this subject can include these factors into various frameworks and surveys so that the nature of migration flows can be understood better.