Helen Adams

Staff Profiles

e-mail address

h.adams1@uea.ac.uk

First Name

Helen

Surname

Adams

Institution

University of East Anglia

Research Interests

My research interests lie in better understanding how environmental factors interact with the decision to migrate.

Current Position

PhD Researcher

Role at Tyndall

Phd Researcher

Academia.edu

http://eastanglia.academia.edu/HelenAdams

Postal Address

Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research ZICER, School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich NR4 7TJ UK

Phone

+44 (0) 59 1340

PhD Researchers Profile

Tyndall Research Theme

Development

Duration of your PhD

2008-2011

Thesis's Supervisor

Prof. W. Neil Adger

Funder

ESRC

My Thesis' Abstract

To date, few studies on migration and environmental change have taken into account the complexity of migration as a process and the variety of responses that result from the non-economic components of the migration decision. This has preventing a meaningful discussion on the potential for climate change to influence demographic patterns.

 

My research addresses this gap by examining the mechanisms and processes behind migration decision-making in the context of environmental change. It proposes that ecosystem services provide the wellbeing that directly affects migration decisions through provisioning services and resource productivity and indirectly through their influence on place utility.These ideas are tested through empirical work in a highland migrant sending area within a small coastal valley of Peru. Geographically and culturally linked to the capital city Lima, the population can be defined by its 'stayer' or 'urbanophobic' characteristics.

 

Results show that certain groups are more likely to use mobility as a coping strategy than others and shows that while cyclical migration related to environmental degradation may increase, rates of permanent outmigration are unlikely to change due pre-existing attachment to place or low mobility. However, the results also show that place attachment can be created by the cultural aspects of ecosystem services.  People with this type of place attachment may be most likely to change their attitude to migration due to environmental degradation. Finally the results show that geographic location, and the specific mix of ecosystem services that it provides, alters the mobility characteristics of a population.

History

Member for

2 years 45 weeks

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