Displacement and Economic Consequences of the Three Gorges Project: A Case Study of Resettlers in Sichuan Province

Due to the construction of the Three Gorges Dam, more than 10,000 rural migrants from Kaixian County were displaced and resettled in Sichuan Province under the government-organized distant resettlement program between 2000 and 2004. This study examines the circumstances of the migrants' livelihood reconstruction in the early stages after displacement. Six towns that received migrants were selected as sites for the case studies. Structured question interviews with migrants and host residents were conducted from April to June in 2007 and in January 2008. Survey data on the livelihoods of resettled migrant households show a propensity for impoverishment. The study concludes with some insights into the development impact of environmental displacement.