In planting an urban micro-forest by, for, and about forcibly-displaced people, as well as others, Garden(s) of Refuge is increasing awareness about the confluence of environmental and climate-related migration challenges. Establishing monitoring stations in the TU Dortmund University Garden will allow research projects on air quality, noise, biodiversity, and other topics to be conducted by faculty and students during and beyond the project period. Through an accompanying arts program (short documentary film, audio installation in the Garden, exhibitions, international conference, and publications) and a pedagogical component (an Academy in Exile tandem teaching seminar on climate refugees will supplement existing courses on nature writing, climate change, and forced migration), the project is documenting migrant and refugee experiences through an oral history project and helping disseminate these experiences to a wider public.
