| Peer-Reviewed

Environmental Degradation in Conflict and Post-Conflict Regions

Received: 27 October 2016    Accepted: 9 November 2016    Published: 9 January 2017
Views:       Downloads:
Abstract

Across the globe and for several decades, conflicts have enormously damaged the environment leading to severe ecological degradation. In this paper, we look at ecological degradation in conflict and post-conflict societies and analyze how these could be managed. To attain this goal, we carry out a review of published literature and survey the vast resources sourced from various civil society organizations. We observed that the environment is rarely viewed as an important aspect during conflicts or after conflicts despite being in a context of ravaged infrastructure, lost livelihoods and disrupted institutions. Moreso, these conflicts do extraordinary damage to the ecological component as people struggle for clean water, sanitation, food and fuel. We surmise that, in periods of conflicts and post-conflicts, severe environmental challenges emerge which necessitate the establishment of environmental governance especially of the natural resource base, creation of administrative capacity and seeking sustainable trajectories for environmental recovery as well as reconstruction.

Published in International Journal of Environmental Protection and Policy (Volume 4, Issue 6)
DOI 10.11648/j.ijepp.20160406.15
Page(s) 187-195
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Environmental Degradation, Conflicts, Post-Conflicts, Forest Resources, United Nations, Toxic Wastes

References
[1] Ahmed, F (2008). An Examination of the Development Path Taken by Small Island Developing States: Jamaica a Case Study. Master of Arts Thesis, The University of Western Ontario, 2008. Available at: http://www.islandvulnerability.org/m/ahmedm.pdf. Retrieved 11th February, 2016.
[2] Beevers, M (2016). Forest governance and post-conflict peacate in Liberia: Emerging contestation and opportunities for change? The Extractive Industries and Society 3 (2): 320–328.
[3] Black, I (2014). Israel is finding it harder to deny targeting Gaza infrastructure. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jul/29/israel-gaza-infrastructure-blackouts-idf-civilian
[4] CIFOR (2014). Center for International Forestry Research. Forests and Conflicts, The scope of the problem Available at http://www.cifor.org/publications/Corporate/FactSheet/forests_conflict.htm
[5] Conca, K (2002). The case for environmental peacemaking: In Environmental peacemaking, ed.
[6] K. Conca and G. D. Dabelko. Washington, D.C.: Woodrow Wilson Center Press; Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press.
[7] Conca, K and Wallace, J (2008). Environment and Peacebuilding in War-Torn Societies: Lessons from the UN Environment Programme's Experience with Post-conflict Assessment. Global Governance 15, No. 4.
[8] Christy, B and Stirton, B (2015). How Killing Elephants Finances Terror in Africa. Available at http://www.nationalgeographic.com/tracking-ivory/article.html
[9] Darby, M (2015). Global warming raises tensions in Boko Haram region. Available at http://www.climatechangenews.com/2015/01/16/global-warming-raises-tensions-in-boko-haram-region/
[10] De Zeeuw, J (2001). Building peace in war-torn societies: From concept to strategy. The Hague: Netherlands Institute of International Relations, Conflict Research Unit.
[11] Eichelberger, E (2014). How Environmental Disaster is Making Boko Haram Violence Worse. Available at http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2014/06/nigeria-environment-climate-change-boko-haram
[12] Evans, D (2004). Using natural resources management as a peacebuilding tool: Observations and lessons from Central Western Mindanao. Journal of Peacebuilding and Development 1: 140–155.
[13] Evans, D (2005). An architecture of instability: How the critical link between natural resources and conflict remains unbroken. Policy briefing. Available at: www.globalwitness.org/sites/default/files/import/An%20Architecture%20of%20Instability.pdf.
[14] Global Witness (2002). Deforestation without limits: How the Cambodian government failed to tackle the untouchables. www.globalwitness.org/sites/default/files/library/Deforestation_Without_Limit.pdf.
[15] Gosine, A (1996). Roots of Flight: Environmental Refugees in Latin America - A Response to Analysis by Homer-Dixon. Refuge 15 (2): 27-32.
[16] Government of Isreal (1995). Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement on the West Bank and the Gaza Strip; Washington, D. C., September 28, 1995. Available at: http://knesset.gov.il/process/docs/heskemb_eng.htm. Retrieved 8th June, 2016.
[17] Harsch, E (2007). Conflict resources: from ‘curse’ to blessing. Transforming an African war risk into a peace asset. Available at; http://www.un.org/africarenewal/magazine/january-2007/conflict-resources-%E2%80%98curse%E2%80%99-blessing. Retrieved 11th September, 2015.
[18] Harwell, E (2010). Forests in fragile and conflict-affected states, Program on Forests (PROFOR), Washington DC. Available at http://web.worldbank.org/archive/website01306/web/pdf/forests_and_conflict_synthesis-paper-nov2010.pdf
[19] Hedges, C (1994). Mideast Accord: The Overview; Rabin and Arafat Sign Accord Ending Israel's 27-Year Hold On Jericho and the Gaza Strip. Available at: http://www.nytimes.com/1994/05/05/world/mideast-accord-overview-rabin-arafat-sign-accord-ending-israel-s-27-year-hold.html?pagewanted=all. Retrieved 11th September, 2015.
[20] Hoffman, D (2007). The City as Barracks: Freetown, Monrovia, and the Organization of Violence in Postcolonial African Cities. Cultural Anthropology 22 (3) 400–428.
[21] HRW (Human Rights Watch), 2014. Gaza: Widespread Impact of Power Plant Attack Curtailed Sewage Treatment, Food and Water Supply, Hospital Operations. Available at: https://www.hrw.org/news/2014/08/10/gaza-widespread-impact-power-plant-attack. Retrieved 11th September 2015.
[22] Huish, R (2009). Canadian Foreign Aid for Global Health: Human Security Opportunity Lost. Canadian Foreign Policy (1192-6422): 60.
[23] Le Billon, P (2006). "Fatal Transactions: Conflict Diamonds and the (Anti) terrorist consumer Antipode 38 (4): 778–801.
[24] Peng, J and Tamsin, W (2016). An unlikely fight to protect nature in war-torn Afghanistan. Available at http://www.dw.com/en/an-unlikely-fight-to-protect-nature-in-war-torn-afghanistan/a-19394882
[25] Remnick, D (2014). The One-State Reality. Israel’s conservative President speaks up for civility, and pays a price. Available at: http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/11/17/one-state-reality.Retrieved 4th June 2016.
[26] Shabi, R (2012). NATO accused of war crimes in Libya. Available at http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/nato-accused-of-war-crimes-in-libya-6291566.html. Retrieved, 30th April, 2016.
[27] UK Parliament (2011). House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee. The impact of UK overseas aid on environmental protection and climate change adaptation and mitigation. Fifth Report of Session 2010–12 Volume I Available at http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201012/cmselect/cmenvaud/710/710.pdf
[28] UNDP (2015). United Nations Development Programme. The Millennium Development Goals Report 2015. Available at http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/librarypage/mdg/the-millennium-development-goals-report-2015.html.Retrieved 20th May, 2016.
[29] UNEP, (2003b). Depleted uranium in Bosnia and Herzegovina: Post-conflict environmental assessment. Geneva, Switzerland. Available at: http:/ /postconflict.unep.ch/publications/BiH_DU_report.pdf.
[30] UNEP, (2003d). Desk study on the environment in Iraq. Geneva, Switzerland. Available at: http://postconflict.unep.ch/publications/Iraq_DS.pdf. Retrieved 10th February, 2015.
[31] UNEP, (2004b). From conflict to sustainable development: Assessment and clean-up in Serbia and Montenegro. Geneva, Switzerland. Available at: http://postconflict.unep.ch/publications/sam.pdf. Retrieved 20th May, 2016.
[32] UNEP, (2006). Assessing and restoring natural resources in post-conflict peacebuilding. Progress report on the Capacity Building and Institutional Development. Programme for Environmental Management in Afghanistan, 2003–2005. Nairobi, Kenya. Available at: http://postconflict.unep.ch/publications/afg_PR_jan06.pdf.84. Retrieved 30th April, 2016.
[33] UNEP, (2007c). Sudan: Post-conflict environmental assessment. Nairobi, Kenya. Available at: http://postconflict.unep.ch/publications/UNEP_Sudan.pdf. Retrieved 15th February, 2016.
[34] UNEP, (2007d). UNEP in Iraq: Post-conflict assessment, clean-up and reconstruction. Nairobi, Kenya. Available at: http://postconflict.unep.ch/publications/Iraq.pdf. Retrieved 1st August, 2015.
[35] UNEP, (2009b). From conflict to peacebuilding: The role of natural resources and the environment. Nairobi, Kenya. Available at: www.unep.org/pdf/pcdmb_policy_01.pdf. Retrieved 9th March, 2016.
[36] UNEP, (2010). Sierra Leone: Environment, conflict and peacebuilding assessment; Technical report. Geneva, Switzerland. Available at: http://postconflict.unep.ch/publications/Sierra_Leone.pdf. Retrieved 2nd June, 2016.
[37] UNGA (2006). United Nations General Assembly. Progress report on the prevention of armed conflict: Report of the Secretary General. A/60/891. www.ipu.org/splze/ unga06/conflict.pdf. Retrieved 5th April, 2016.
[38] UNGA (1994). United Nations General Assembly. Report of the Global Conference on The Sustainable Development Of Small Island Developing States Bridgetown, Barbados, 25 April-6 May 1994.
[39] UNHCR (2005). United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. UNHCR environmental guidelines. Geneva, Switzerland.
[40] UN (2001). United Nations. Conflict diamonds, sanctions and war: General Assembly adopts resolution on conflict diamonds.Available at; http://www.un.org/peace/africa/Diamond.html. Retrieved 4th May, 2016.
[41] UNSC (2011). United Nations Security Council. Report of the Secretary-General on the protection of Somali natural resources and waters. S/2001/661. October 25.Available at: http://unpos.unmissions.org/Portals/UNPOS/Repository%20UNPOS/S-2011-661%20%2825Oct%29.pdf. Retrieved 7th May, 2016.
[42] UNSG (2010). United Nations Secretary-General. Progress report of the Secretary-General on peacebuilding in the immediate aftermath of conflict. A/64/866–S/2010/386. July 16 (reissued on August 1 for technical reasons), New York: Available at www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=A/64/866. Retrieved 9th April, 2016
[43] USAID (2013). United States Agency for International Development. The Biodiversity Support Program (BSP). Available at: https://rmportal.net/library/content/tools/biodiversity-support-program. Retrieved 11th September, 2015.
[44] Waage, H (2008). Postscript to Oslo: The Mystery of Norway's Missing Files. Journal of Palestine Studies, XXXVIII (1) 54–65.
[45] Wieland, A and Wallenburg, C (2013). The Influence of Relational Competencies on Supply Chain Resilience: A Relational View. International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management 43 (4) 300–320.
Cite This Article
  • APA Style

    Mukete Beckline, Sun Yujun, Eric Zama, Achem Baye John, Mukete Tahle, et al. (2017). Environmental Degradation in Conflict and Post-Conflict Regions. International Journal of Environmental Protection and Policy, 4(6), 187-195. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijepp.20160406.15

    Copy | Download

    ACS Style

    Mukete Beckline; Sun Yujun; Eric Zama; Achem Baye John; Mukete Tahle, et al. Environmental Degradation in Conflict and Post-Conflict Regions. Int. J. Environ. Prot. Policy 2017, 4(6), 187-195. doi: 10.11648/j.ijepp.20160406.15

    Copy | Download

    AMA Style

    Mukete Beckline, Sun Yujun, Eric Zama, Achem Baye John, Mukete Tahle, et al. Environmental Degradation in Conflict and Post-Conflict Regions. Int J Environ Prot Policy. 2017;4(6):187-195. doi: 10.11648/j.ijepp.20160406.15

    Copy | Download

  • @article{10.11648/j.ijepp.20160406.15,
      author = {Mukete Beckline and Sun Yujun and Eric Zama and Achem Baye John and Mukete Tahle and Ndolo Lisette and Lonje Bernard},
      title = {Environmental Degradation in Conflict and Post-Conflict Regions},
      journal = {International Journal of Environmental Protection and Policy},
      volume = {4},
      number = {6},
      pages = {187-195},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ijepp.20160406.15},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijepp.20160406.15},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijepp.20160406.15},
      abstract = {Across the globe and for several decades, conflicts have enormously damaged the environment leading to severe ecological degradation. In this paper, we look at ecological degradation in conflict and post-conflict societies and analyze how these could be managed. To attain this goal, we carry out a review of published literature and survey the vast resources sourced from various civil society organizations. We observed that the environment is rarely viewed as an important aspect during conflicts or after conflicts despite being in a context of ravaged infrastructure, lost livelihoods and disrupted institutions. Moreso, these conflicts do extraordinary damage to the ecological component as people struggle for clean water, sanitation, food and fuel. We surmise that, in periods of conflicts and post-conflicts, severe environmental challenges emerge which necessitate the establishment of environmental governance especially of the natural resource base, creation of administrative capacity and seeking sustainable trajectories for environmental recovery as well as reconstruction.},
     year = {2017}
    }
    

    Copy | Download

  • TY  - JOUR
    T1  - Environmental Degradation in Conflict and Post-Conflict Regions
    AU  - Mukete Beckline
    AU  - Sun Yujun
    AU  - Eric Zama
    AU  - Achem Baye John
    AU  - Mukete Tahle
    AU  - Ndolo Lisette
    AU  - Lonje Bernard
    Y1  - 2017/01/09
    PY  - 2017
    N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijepp.20160406.15
    DO  - 10.11648/j.ijepp.20160406.15
    T2  - International Journal of Environmental Protection and Policy
    JF  - International Journal of Environmental Protection and Policy
    JO  - International Journal of Environmental Protection and Policy
    SP  - 187
    EP  - 195
    PB  - Science Publishing Group
    SN  - 2330-7536
    UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijepp.20160406.15
    AB  - Across the globe and for several decades, conflicts have enormously damaged the environment leading to severe ecological degradation. In this paper, we look at ecological degradation in conflict and post-conflict societies and analyze how these could be managed. To attain this goal, we carry out a review of published literature and survey the vast resources sourced from various civil society organizations. We observed that the environment is rarely viewed as an important aspect during conflicts or after conflicts despite being in a context of ravaged infrastructure, lost livelihoods and disrupted institutions. Moreso, these conflicts do extraordinary damage to the ecological component as people struggle for clean water, sanitation, food and fuel. We surmise that, in periods of conflicts and post-conflicts, severe environmental challenges emerge which necessitate the establishment of environmental governance especially of the natural resource base, creation of administrative capacity and seeking sustainable trajectories for environmental recovery as well as reconstruction.
    VL  - 4
    IS  - 6
    ER  - 

    Copy | Download

Author Information
  • Department of Forest Management, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing China

  • Department of Forest Management, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing China

  • Research Center for Eco-environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing China

  • Department of Management Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussels, Brussels, Belgium

  • Refugees Welfare Association, Bamenda, Cameroon

  • Minsitry of Forestry and Wildlife, Buea, Cameroon

  • International Organization for Migration, Yaoundé, Cameroon

  • Sections