Kenya ranch lost half its farmers as invasive cactus spread, but displacement went uncounted

Researchers warn that invasive species can trigger forced migration even though displacement linked to them is rarely measured. A new study published in Frontiers in Conservation Science, led by independent conservation consultant Jamie Reaser and scientist Arne Witt of CABI, argues invasive species should be considered alongside conflict and climate pressures in discussions of displacement. In Kenya’s Laikipia region, the Mukurian Group Ranch saw Opuntia stricta spread across about two-thirds of its land, prompting 600 of the ranch’s 1,200 farmers to leave. The paper also cites impacts elsewhere, including water hyacinth near Douala in Cameroon’s Wouri River Basin, where 60% of fishermen left and catches fell 76%, and invasive fire ants in parts of the Pacific. The authors say displacement agencies currently don’t track invasive species as a cause and want governments to report related land abandonment to existing monitoring systems.