Conserving the Peace: Analyzing the links between conservation and conflict in the Albertine Rift

This strategy report, prepared by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) following a 2006 project inception meeting, outlines a framework for integrating conflict-sensitivity into conservation interventions in the Albertine Rift. Funded by a US$325,000 grant from the MacArthur Foundation, the project aims to prevent conservation NGOs from inadvertently exacerbating conflict and to maximize their potential for peacebuilding. The document analyzes the dual nature of conflict in the region—local disputes arising from resource restrictions and regional armed conflicts—and reviews various analytical tools (such as 'Do No Harm' and 'Peace and Conflict Impact Assessment') to develop a tailored methodology for conservationists.

• Conservation interventions in the Albertine Rift can trigger local-level conflicts, which are typically non-violent, by restricting access to livelihood resources through the establishment of Protected Areas, buffer zones, and multiple use zones.
• Living adjacent to conservation areas imposes significant socio-economic costs on local communities, including crop loss and property damage from wildlife (such as mountain gorillas and birds), physical threats to humans, and the loss of livestock to carnivores or disease.
• Inequitable distribution of conservation-related revenues, such as park fees and tourism permits, can lead to conflict between marginalized community members and elite groups who capture the benefits.
• Regional-level conflicts in the Albertine Rift are driven by deep-rooted factors including socio-economic disparity, political representation, identity, citizenship, and weak governance, often spilling across national borders.
• Conservation activities can directly exacerbate regional tensions when the management of high-value transboundary resources, such as timber and wildlife, becomes a political issue between governments.
• Operational procedures of conservation projects can indirectly fuel regional conflict; for example, cash or food compensation provided to farmers to protect crops from buffalos in the DRC made recipients targets for raids by armed groups.
• Local and regional conservation conflicts share structural root causes, including poverty, poor governance, lack of political participation, and competition for natural resources.
• Well-planned conservation interventions have the potential to contribute to peacebuilding by establishing cooperation through the shared management of transboundary resources and financing post-conflict reconstruction via tourism.
• The project proposes a four-step methodology for conflict-sensitive conservation: analyzing the conflict situation, reviewing the conservation intervention, evaluating the interaction between the two, and preparing implementation recommendations.

APA

Hammill, A., & Brown, O. (2006). Conserving the Peace: Analyzing the links between conservation and conflict in the Albertine Rift. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/conserving_peace_albertine_rift.pdf

Chicago

Hammill, Anne, and Oli Brown. Conserving the Peace: Analyzing the links between conservation and conflict in the Albertine Rift. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2006. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/conserving_peace_albertine_rift.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Hammill |first1=Anne |last2=Brown |first2=Oli |title=Conserving the Peace: Analyzing the links between conservation and conflict in the Albertine Rift |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=March 2006 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/conserving_peace_albertine_rift.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{hammill2006conserving, author = {Hammill, Anne and Brown, Oli}, title = {{Conserving the Peace: Analyzing the links between conservation and conflict in the Albertine Rift}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2006}, month = mar, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/conserving_peace_albertine_rift.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }