Environmental factors in Mexican migration: The cases of Chiapas and Tlaxcala

Abstract

Even though Mexican migration is one of the most cited cases in migration research, the impact of environmental degradation or natural disasters on migration flows originating in Mexico is still a field under exploration. This chapter, based on fieldwork carried out in the frame of the EACH-FOR Project, gives an overview of selected problems of environmental degradation, of migration flows within and from Mexico, as well as of linkages between both phenomena. Two cases have been selected in this study, illustrating the linkages between environmental problems and migration. In Western Tlaxcala, located in central Mexico, the consequences of desertification, land degradation, and changing rainfall patterns on the rural economy and on migration are the main focus. In the case of the south-eastern state of Chiapas, the poorest state within the Mexican federation, the impact of tropical storms on migration flows is the focus. © 2010 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.