Over time, literature has illustrated the cascading effects of climate change, including its non-economic impacts such as human mobility. As a result, climate-vulnerable and impacted sectors such as agriculture, water management, or health, can influence people’s ability or inability to move and adapt in response to climate-related events. Our latest research highlights the necessity of incorporating human mobility in national adaptation planning frameworks, keeping in mind the multidimensional nature of migration. This underlines the importance of contextualizing human mobility when designing and implementing cross-sectoral policies at national and local levels.

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Climate change and human mobility in Senegal

The multidimensional nature of human mobility can be observed in Senegal, a country highly vulnerable to climate change and susceptible to problems of access to land and food security, among other security risks. In addition to sectoral vulnerabilities, Senegal experiences the simultaneous occurrence of external and internal migration. In October, Senegal faced severe flooding in the eastern and northern regions of the country caused by the rising Senegal River, affecting 55,000 people and over 1,000 hectares of agricultural land. This event markedly underscores the importance of integrating human mobility in cross-sectoral adaptation, especially when considering that people with pre-existing vulnerabilities are at heightened risk from climate impacts.

The multipronged aspect of human mobility in the context of Senegal also raises questions about (i) how we can better capture the data on climate-induced migration trends, (ii) the role of local authorities on the frontline in addition to being first responders, (iii) and ultimately how this can inform climate policy from a rights-based perspective as it relates to climate diplomacy.

Senegal’s approach to adaptation planning first began with a sectoral and territorial focus in 2015 during the national adaptation planning process. Several sectoral adaptation plans have been developed or are planned to address the ten identified vulnerable sectors. In addition, an overarching National Adaptation Plan (NAP) is under preparation. At the local level, Senegal’s NAPs reflect the incorporation of socio-economic surveys and co-design of adaptation options, including capacity building activities with support for local planning and resource mobilization.

If we keep within the same greenhouse gas emission scenario, Senegal could see 1-3% of its population move. Although the vast majority of climate-induced migration in Senegal is internal, data from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) projects that by 2050, 32 million people in West Africa could face displacement due to slow-onset events such as sea level rise and drought. The region faces the highest urbanization rate in the world and cities often bear the stressors of rural to urban migration, however, there can also be open areas for opportunity and refuge for migrants.

Climate-induced migration can be utilized as an adaptation strategy, particularly in economic diversification, livelihood security, sectoral, and infrastructural development. With this awareness of urban expansion, Senegal has introduced the issue of migration to the International Water Forum in anticipation of cities’ capacity to accommodate climate migrants. One way Senegal utilized human mobility as an adaptation strategy was through the voluntary resettlement programme in the 1990s that placed 1,000 Senegalese families in eastern Senegal, however, as noted earlier, this area of the country is presently at a flood risk. This example illustrates the ongoing nature of implementing adaptation strategies; it also emphasizes the importance of context specific programmes at a local level, especially when conducting risk and needs assessments.

Senegal needs to take all dimensions of human mobility into account in its adaptation strategies at both national and local levels. This requires a systematic, multi-sectoral approach that considers the country's specific migration dynamics. To further understand the intersection between climate-related human mobility and local adaptation planning, SLYCAN Trust is conducting research with support from the NAP Global Network to identify key considerations and challenges. As one of three country case studies under this project, Senegal serves of an example of adaptation planning related to human mobility at the subnational and sectoral level.

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Key takeaways and recommendations

In October 2024, SLYCAN Trust organized a workshop in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment and Ecological Transition of Senegal to engage key stakeholders involved in the process to formulate and implement the country’s NAP. The event aimed to explore how to effectively integrate human mobility in NAPs while keeping in mind subnational and local implementation. Through group work exercises, presentations from panelists, and post-workshop interviews, the following key takeaways and recommendations have been identified:

• Take into account the intersectionality between migration and climate change, as well as the limits between adaptation and loss and damage.
• Identify specific vulnerabilities at local level, considering migrant profiles and sociological dynamics (cultural and traditional).
• Promote sustainable investments in nature-based solutions and local green jobs
• Integrate gender considerations and guarantee access to water and natural resources for vulnerable populations.
• Establish sustainable funding mechanisms to support adaptation and capacity-building initiatives.
• Draw on existing tools and guides to integrate human mobility into NAPs.
• Integrate human mobility and adaptation considerations into local development plans. 

In summary, the multifaceted nature of human mobility requires an all-inclusive approach to ensure its efficacy in integration and implementation. For Senegal, ongoing monitoring and evaluation, capacity building efforts, public awareness and education, and most importantly, sustainable financing, will be key in the success factor of integrating human mobility in NAPs at both the national and local levels.