Frontier Migration as response to environmental change - a case study from Central Sulawesi, Indonesia

Environmental change and climate variability in rural regions of developing countries can lead to serious consequences. The effects are regarded as major threats to household incomes and therefore as main push factors influencing migraton. The paper seeks to identify the livelihood strategies, which are employed as a response to climate change. This research is based on a qualitative approach by applying different methods such as semi-structures interviews and PRA-sessions. We find that environmental change, population growth and unequal land distribution induces migration to the forest frontier. Land shortage and high land prices in the regions of origin and cheap access to land in the destination areas are the classical driving forces for migration in the region. But, if the household income is reduces by environmental hazards on the local level, some households choose to migrate.