Many regions in the Philippines are at risk of slow onset processes, such as sea level rise, land degradation and desertification, changes in rainfall and drought. The IMPACT project undertook a study of perceptions of slow onset climatic risks and migration in the Philippines, and the causality and impact both in the destination and origin areas. By following a people-centered research approach, the study is based on Key Expert Interviews, Participatory Rural Appraisals and Individual and Collective Storytelling Interviews, which have been conducted across the three major island groups of the Philippines (Mindanao, Visayas and Luzon). The collected data have been evaluated regarding internal and international migration patterns, as well as, for each of the considered areas, (im)mobilty narratives concerning perceptions of environmental change, adaptation strategies and constraints, and aspects related to gender, wellbeing, and social cohesion in context of migration. Deduced from the research findings, the following research questions have been answered:
(i) how slow onset climatic and environmental stress influence people’s livelihood changes and (im)mobility decisions
(ii) how human (im)mobility influence people in origin areas (on a household, social network, and societal level)
(iii) how human (im)mobility influence destination areas (including people arriving / hosting, and social, environmental, institutional, and organisational impacts)
The IMPACT study is closed by providing recommendations for adaptation and disaster risks, positive migration effects, and negative migration effects that can feed into policymaking.
