Ecological migration
Encyclopedia
Ecological migration (Chinese: 生态移民) is a policy adopted in 2001 by the Chinese government to relocate a large number of herders, in particular Mongolian herders of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, from their traditional grazing lands to agricultural and urban area
s as part of the government's initiative to restore and recover the seriously degraded grassland ecosystem in the Autonomous Region
. The term first appeared in 2001 on the electronic newsletter Southern Mongolia Watch published by the Southern Mongolian Human Rights Information Center (SMHRIC), a human rights
organization based in New York.
According to SMHRIC, at least 650,000 ethnic Mongolian herders have been displaced as of 2006. The data originally appeared on reports by China's official presses Xinhua News Agency
and China Central Television
. A paper entitled Ecological Migration and Human Rights by Enhebatu Togochog, president of SMHRIC, states that human rights of the Mongolian herders have been seriously violated during the Ecological Migration process, and thousands of Mongolian herders lost their land, home and livelihood after the relocation.
Urban area
An urban area is characterized by higher population density and vast human features in comparison to areas surrounding it. Urban areas may be cities, towns or conurbations, but the term is not commonly extended to rural settlements such as villages and hamlets.Urban areas are created and further...
s as part of the government's initiative to restore and recover the seriously degraded grassland ecosystem in the Autonomous Region
Autonomous area
An autonomous area or autonomous entity is an area of a country that has a degree of autonomy, or freedom from an external authority. Typically it is either geographically distinct from the rest of the country or populated by a national minority. Countries that include autonomous areas are often...
. The term first appeared in 2001 on the electronic newsletter Southern Mongolia Watch published by the Southern Mongolian Human Rights Information Center (SMHRIC), a human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
organization based in New York.
According to SMHRIC, at least 650,000 ethnic Mongolian herders have been displaced as of 2006. The data originally appeared on reports by China's official presses Xinhua News Agency
Xinhua News Agency
The Xinhua News Agency is the official press agency of the government of the People's Republic of China and the biggest center for collecting information and press conferences in the PRC. It is the largest news agency in the PRC, ahead of the China News Service...
and China Central Television
China Central Television
China Central Television or Chinese Central Television, commonly abbreviated as CCTV, is the major state television broadcaster in mainland China. CCTV has a network of 19 channels broadcasting different programmes and is accessible to more than one billion viewers...
. A paper entitled Ecological Migration and Human Rights by Enhebatu Togochog, president of SMHRIC, states that human rights of the Mongolian herders have been seriously violated during the Ecological Migration process, and thousands of Mongolian herders lost their land, home and livelihood after the relocation.